With film and television production shutdowns largely still in effect and most movie theaters still closed for the time being, the various film- and TV-related live events have likewise had to adapt to changing circumstances or cancel operations altogether. San Diego Comic-Con has been, both literally and figuratively, one of the biggest venues for Hollywood to flaunt its latest and most exciting projects, and this year, amid COVID-19 concerns, the convention has decided to go online. Now dubbed Comic-Con@Home, the event will take place via virtual panels from this Wednesday, July 22 to Sunday, July 26.
While this change means nobody will be able to attend the pop culture mecca in person, it also means that all of the scheduled panels are now officially free for anyone who wants to tune in and watch. With that in mind, we went through the entire Comic-Con@Home schedule and found 10 exciting panel discussions you should definitely catch if you have the time.
(Photo by CBS All Access)
When: Thursday, July 23 at 10:00 am (PT)
This is the panel to check out if you’re a Star Trek fan of any stripe, as it will cover the various projects going on in the franchise as a whole. First, Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Tig Notaro and many more will participate in a table read of the show’s Season 2 finale, “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2,” followed by a Q&A. Then the creator and showrunner of the upcoming animated comedy series Star Trek: Lower Decks, Mike McMahan will offer an extended first look at the series along with key voice cast members. And finally, the great Patrick Stewart will be on hand to talk about the new CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard, with both current cast members and a few special appearances by familiar faces like Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Jeri Ryan, and Marina Sirtis.
When: Thursday, July 23 at 2:00 pm (PT)
After a long and winding road involving multiple re-writes and re-shoots, not to mention the Disney acquisition of Fox, Josh Boone’s horror-tinged The New Mutants is officially set to open on August 28, notwithstanding any further delays. Ahead of that, the film’s Comic-Con panel will feature Boone and stars Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt, and Henry Zaga in a discussion about the new film.
When: Thursday, July 23 at 3:00 pm (PT)
Amazon Prime’s hit series comes back for its second season on September 4, but if you can’t wait, the cast and crew are offering a sneak peak. Executive producer Eric Kripke and stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, and Aya Cash, along with moderator Aisha Tyler, will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming season, with executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg making a special appearance.
(Photo by Aimee Spinks/Netflix)
When: Friday, July 24 at 10:00 am (PT)
Hot on the heels of the successful Netflix premiere of The Old Guard, star Charlize Theron will engage in a career retrospective Q&A session focusing on the producer and actress’s steady evolution into one of modern Hollywood’s most reliable and reliably bankable action stars, diving into the evolution of the modern female action hero, the roles that inspired her, and what drives her to constantly push her limits with fight training.
When: Friday, July 24 at 12:00 pm (Fear the Walking Dead), 1:00 pm (The Walking Dead), 2:00 pm (The Walking Dead: World Beyond)
AMC’s popular zombie franchise will dominate the middle of Friday with three panels, one for each of their series, all moderated by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick. The first will be the noon panel dedicated to Fear the Walking Dead, featuring TWDU chief content officer Scott M. Gimple, showrunners and executive producers Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, and cast members Lennie James, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia, Karen David, Jenna Elfman, and Rubén Blades, as they discuss the show’s upcoming sixth season.
Directly after that, at 1:00 pm, Hardwick and Gimple will welcome showrunner and executive producer Angela Kang, executive producer Greg Nicotero, who directed the episode, and cast members Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Josh McDermitt, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton, and Paola Lazaro to talk about The Walking Dead’s Season 10 finale episode, “A Certain Doom,” which is scheduled to air sometime later this year.
And finally, Hardwick and Gimple will host showrunner and executive producer Matt Negrete and cast members Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Hal Cumpston, Nicholas Cantu, Nico Tortorella, Julia Ormond, and Joe Holt in a discussion about the franchise’s newest addition, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, which will follow the first generation raised by the survivors of the post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested new world.
(Photo by Warner Bros. courtesy Everett Collection)
When: Saturday, July 25 at 12:00 pm (PT)
Earlier this year, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of Constantine, the Francis Lawrence-directed Keanu Reeves supernatural thriller based on DC Comics’ Hellblazer series. But if you want to know what the people directly involved have to say about the film, you can tune in to watch Reeves, Lawrence, and producer Akiva Goldsman reunite to reflect on the film and its legacy as a cult favorite.
(Photo by Lev Radin, James Atoa/Everett Collection)
When: Saturday, July 25 at 1:00 pm (PT)
Scott Cooper’s (Crazy Heart, Hostiles) latest project, the horror film Antlers, was one of the films that fell victim to coronavirus-related rescheduling, as it was originally slated to open on April 17 but was pulled from the calendar and hasn’t yet been assigned a new date. Nevertheless, Cooper and producer Guillermo del Toro will be on hand not only to tease their upcoming Searchlight Pictures project, discussing how they designed the Wendigo-inspired monster in it, but also to go in-depth on the craft of filmmaking and how they create a visual style.
When: Saturday, July 25 at 3:00 pm (PT)
The nearly-three-decades-in-the-making sequel Bill & Ted Face the Music is still set to open on September 1 in select theaters and on-demand, and reveal how middle-aged Bill S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Keanu Reeves) will save the planet with a new song. But before that happens, Reeves and Winter will join director Dean Parisot, writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, and co-stars Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and William Sadler in a live discussion hosted by Kevin Smith.
When: Saturday, July 25 at 4:00 pm (PT)
One of the most anticipated new series of 2020 is HBO’s Lovecraft Country, a supernatural drama based on the novel of the same name that draws parallels between the horror writings of H.P. Lovecraft and Jim Crow-era racism in the United States. While much-hyped executive producers Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams won’t be on hand for the discussion, cast members Jurnee Smollett, Jonathan Majors, Michael Kenneth Williams, Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, Abbey Lee, and Courtney B. Vance will take part in a conversation about the new show.
(Photo by Russ Martin/©FX)
When: Saturday, July 25 at 5:00 pm (PT)
FX’s acclaimed vampire-centric comedy series based on Taika Waititi’s mockumentary of the same name was a breakout hit last year, and we’re just a little over a month past the Season 2 finale. To celebrate, cast members Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, and Harvey Guillén will jump online for a discussion about the series hosted by Haley Joel Osment, who guest-starred on the Season 2 opener.
Thumbnail images by Lev Radin/Everett Collection, Aimee Spinks/Netflix, HBO
