This weekend at NYCC, the major cast of the “Powers” television series were on hand to debut the first trailer, and talk about the process of adapting a comic book into a successful TV show. Series creators Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming were both part of the panel, and shared a lot of information as to how this adaptation will exactly work.

And while the trailer has been criticzed for having too much talking, and not enough action. I assure you a lot of it has been filmed, it’s just the effects heavy stuff is a long way off. The cast commented on how shooting just finished on episode two, and this weekend was the first time anyone got to see footage cut together, it’s too early to write it off just yet.

Geoff Keighlay from Gametrailers moderating.Bendis arrives on stage, and talks about how this day was fourteen years coming.  They showed the first trailer, the show looks gritty, in line with something like Breaking Bad. Sharlto, looks intense and keeps his wit from District Nine. We got treated to another little bit of footage, showing off some really dark comedy before Sharlto gave a quick video message.

Susan Heyward (Deena Pilgrim), Eddie Izzard (Wolfe), Noah Taylor (Johnny Royalle), Olesya Rulin (Calista) and Logan Browning (Zora) entered the room to thunderous applause. They announced David Slade is directing the pilot as they took their seats., and novelist Charlie Huston is the showrunner. He’s approaching the material like a ten chapter crime novel.

Izzard immediately took control and spoke about playing Wolf. He talked about how the show is going a slightly different direction than the books. He’s taking the character in a slightly new direction. He described it as living in the real fucked up world with powers. It’s a metaphor for being a celebrity.

The panel talked about the young character, Calista who wants power. Olesya spoke about having the creative freedom to do what she wants. She’s really excited to see what people think. Sharlto is a father figure to Callista. He’s incredibly nurturing. He’s made her safe to try new things. Casting Susan as Deena was a no brainer. Bendis spoke about Deena representing that character with her feet on the floor, and being the one voice of reason in the world filled with insanity. She’s wounded when she enters the Powers department. She’s not politically savy, and speaks her mind. She’s looking with a new home in the powers department.

Sharlto’s character used to be a power, and deciding to be a police officer is a lot more heroic than what he was as a superhero. He’ll be forced to answer to some of the powers he used to know. He’s working the case, but Deena is working him. He knows all about powers but can’t really remove himself from the situation.

Noah Taylor said his Johnny Royale is a complex and conflicted character, he’s a bad motherfucker. He’s a criminal mastermind, and he’s mysterious. He called it a dream role. He’s going to be perfect as a slimy motherfucker who resents the commercialized powers. H

The powers kid, Logan Browning, spoke. She saw the footage for the first time and it made her cry. She’s part of a really big beautiful project. She’s still discovering where her character, Zora, is going. She doesn’t want fame, she wants to be a hero. She’s very changed from the book, in the comic she’s a fully formed hero, here we’re going to see her formative years.

Eddie again spoke about Wolf, and told us that he’s an interesting character. He’s the big bad wolf. He is ancient and dark. He has charm and he is fucked up as hell. He’s done very bad things. The trajectory of his character is really dark. He’s already brought the blood and he’s only filmed two scenes.

Strength of the show is about the family of the human characters, dealing with the dynamics of a larger family unit that is still sorting itself out. The strong bond of comrades during war time. The panel closed with teasing just how heavily involved Micheal Avon Oeming’s art style influenced the show. The world of the comics will be everywhere within the show, and really create a beautiful and complementary world.

Here’s the trailer again, and later this week we’ll have one on one interviews with the cast of “Powers.” You don’t want to miss Eddie Izzard.