TAGGED AS: Film, movies, San Diego Comic-Con, television, TV
After two years of virtual shows, Comic-Con International: San Diego returns as full live event this week. The four days of everything nerd or geek related will have its chance to shine in the Southern California sun once again and Rotten Tomatoes will, of course, be there.
What will we see and what sort of news can you expect out of the event? While it might seem like a calmer, small show on the outside, a good look at the panel programing for the weekend reveals at least one day with be overflowing with film and television content — and that’s just the conventions famous Hall H! We dove deep in the schedule to give you an idea of just want to expect from Comic-Con whether your there on the floor or waiting by the social media of your choice for updates and trailers.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opens Hall H programming for the year. The long-awaited D&D film stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, and Hugh Grant. According to Comic-Con’s description, the hour will feature “a panel discussion and footage presentation with the cast and filmmakers.” It is unclear who will actually be in attendance, but you can be fairly sure a teaser trailer will pop up online shortly thereafter.
The Hall H programming continues with looks at Paramount+’s Teen Wolf the Movie at 1:30 p.m., a 40th Anniversary celebration of Masters of the Universe at 3 p.m. — which may yield some new info on the upcoming MOTU feature film — and William Shatner will take to the stage at 4:30 for a look at the upcoming documentary centered around his nine decades on planet Earth.
(Photo by Cliff Lipson/CBS)
Elsewhere at the convention, Ghosts makes its Ballroom 20 debut at 1 p.m. with series stars Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Brandon Scott Jones, Richie Moriarty, Danielle Pinnock, Asher Grodman, Román Zaragoza, Sheila Carrasco, Rebecca Wisocky, Devan Chandler Long and executive producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman expected to appear. The panel also promises some “never before seen footage” which could mean a Season 2 sizzle reel. Hopefully, that video will also find its way online shortly after the panel ends. Also making its Comic-Con debut is the AppleTV+ series Severance at 3:30 p.m. in Ballroom 20. Executive producer Ben Stiller, creator and executive producer Dan Erickson, and cast members Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Tramell Tillman, Dichen Lachman, and Jen Tullock will chat with Patton Oswalt about the first season and, hopefully, offer a proper tease of its eventual return.
But that’s not all! Thursday also features panels devoted to Spongebob Squarepants (3:30 p.m. in Room 6BCF), Beavis and Butt-Head (4:45 p.m. in Ballroom 20), The Dragon Prince (4:45 p.m. in Room 6BCF), the premiere of Salvage Marines (5 p.m. in Room 7AB), Koala Man (6 p.m. in Room 6BCF), and Solar Opposites (7:15 p.m. in Room 6BCF).
Although the pace picks up on Friday, it is a most anticipated day for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will take to the Hall H stage at 10:30 a.m. for a 90-minute panel. An absurd amount of the show’s expansive cast — including Morfydd Clark, Charles Edwards, Rob Aramayo — will appear alongside showrunners JD Payne, Patrick McKay, and executive producer Lindsey Weber to discuss their take on Second Age Middle-earth. For those at home, expect something to be released afterward; a trailer or, perhaps, confirmation on just who is playing Sauron.
The Walking Dead returns to Hall H after a two-year absence with panels dedicated to the new Tales of the Walking Dead series and the flagship show at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively. The former will highlight the new anthology program with cast and creators talking about their experiences. A trailer for the series will also debut, so expect that online sooner than later. The Walking Dead panel will focus on the main show’s remaining episodes and, perhaps, offer a few updates on other elements of the ongoing Walking Dead world, like that Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) feature. One thing is certain though: a preview for the final episodes will be screened.
If walkers aren’t your thing, may we suggest the Paper Girls panel at 1:30 p.m. in Ballroom 20. Based on the comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, the first season sees four girls on their early morning paper route spirited away from 1988 to their futures in the 21st century. Will they like what they find? The cast, creators, and executive producers will take an “in-depth look” at the television series and maybe offer a few more teases prior to its July 29 debut.
For All Mankind also makes a debut Comic-Con appearance with a panel at 2:45 in Ballroom 20. Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi — alongside executive producer Maril Davis and cast members Joel Kinnaman, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Sonya Walger, Krys Marshall, Cynthy Wu, Casey Johnson, Coral Peña, Wrenn Schmidt, and Edi Gathegi — will gather to discuss the third season. Other series appearing that day include Bob’s Burgers (3:00 p.m. in Hilton San Diego Bayfront’s Indigo Ballroom) and The Great North (7 p.m. in Room 6BCF). The Indigo Ballroom will also be the site for panels centering on the new Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai series (11 a.m.), the second season of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal (1 p.m.), FXX’s Little Demon (4 p.m.), and Archer (5 p.m.).
(Photo by Marvel Studios)
Additionally, Marvel Studios will present its first animation-only panel at 11:45 a.m. in Ballroom 20. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios head of streaming, television and animation, and Ryan Meinerding, head of visual development, will take a look at the second season of What If…? and the upcoming X-Men 97 and Marvel Zombies series. The panel also promises “specials guests” and we can’t help but wonder if, perhaps, there will be an announcement pertaining to Spider-Man: Freshman Year. While the studio usually keeps its Hall H trailers under lock and key following Comic-Con presentations, we suspect What If…? and X-Men 97 trailers will appear online later that afternoon.
(Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images)
Television may dominate the day, but a few films will get the Comic-Con treatment. Keanu Reeves will appear in Hall H at 3 p.m. to discuss his comic book, BRZRKR, and its upcoming film adaptation. Co-writer Matt Kindt, artist Ron Garney, and screenwriter Mattson Tomlin will talk about their plans for the remaining issues of the series and where BRZRKR will go next. Some rumors also indicate Reeve’s presence will lead to a teaser for John Wick: Chapter 4. Other films fielding panels include Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (4:30 p.m. in Hall H), Nandor Fodor and The Talking Mongoose (5:15 p.m. in Ballroom 20), and a screening of the upcoming DC Animated direct-to-video film, Green Lantern: Beware My Power (6:30 p.m. in Ballroom 20).
Saturday, naturally enough, is the big day with major film and television shows filling the Hall H schedule. Let’s start there as it begins bright and early at 10 a.m. with the Warner Bros. Theatrical panel. The 90-minute panel will highlight the two DC Films releases for the year: Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. We expect teasers for both films and brief appearances by stars Dwyane Johnson and Zachary Levi. We also imagine they will tease their characters’ eventual conflict in a future crossover film. Other DC movies we expect to see in some form include Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Blue Beetle and possibly even a glimpse of Batgirl — particularly if the studio decides to convert the HBO Max production into a theatrical release. Outside of the DC arena, it is possible we’ll get a video message from the set of Dune: Part 2 and some info on the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel. In previous years, Warner has been good about releasing videos ten or so minutes after they appear in Hall H, so if you’re offsite, this will be a good chunk of time to expect the unexpected. Indeed, new rumors suggest Henry Cavill will make an appearance to announce his return as Superman. Considering a reported interested in a Man of Steel sequel among the new Warner Bros. Discovery leadership, this isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
Following Warner Bros. in Hall H is House of the Dragon at 11:30. The presentation will include co-creator/executive producer George R. R. Martin, co-creator/co-showrunner/executive producer/writer Ryan Condal and a bevy of stars like Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D’Arcy to discuss the Game of Thrones prequel. We also imagine another new trailer for the program, debuting in August, will premiere there before making its way online.
(Photo by James Dimmock/Paramount+)
Next up is the Star Trek Universe panel at 12:45. Clocking in at 90 minutes, it will offer “back-to-back conversations with the casts and executive producers from Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” A trailer for Picard’s third and final season seems like a reasonable expectation, as is an extended look at the return of Lower Decks. And although Strange New Worlds just finished airing its first season, there may be a surprise or two awaiting those in Hall H.
Immediately following that is a look at The Sandman. Described as part video presentation and part Q&A with “series stars and producers” we imagine it will debut one final trailer before the program debuts on Netflix August 5. Maybe fans will get their first proper look at Morpheus’ sister, Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste)? Or, at the very least, a new trailer featuring the sound of her wings?
Then, at 5 p.m., Hall H will be the place to be as Marvel Studios returns for a hour-long presentation. Presumably, it will see the Phase 4 release schedule finalized (such as it can be), the Phase 5 calendar revealed and, perhaps, an announcement about Fantastic Four. We also expect to see new trailers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Secret Invasion — all of which may quickly appear online. But considering the way Marvel likes to treat its Hall H crowd, we imagine Con-goer–only sneak peeks at Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 could also occur.
For those with energy after the Marvel presentation, Hall H programing concludes at 6:30 p.m. with Kevin Smith premiering the first five minutes of Clerks III. He will also discuss other projects, like the next Masters of the Universe series and more.
And all of that was just Hall H! As unbelievable as it seems, other panels will occur in other parts of the San Diego Convention Center. Evil descends on San Diego via a Ballroom 20 panel at 10 a.m. with a special screening and a chat with stars Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Christine Lahti, and Kurt Fuller. Ballroom 20 will also be the site for panels focused on The Simpsons (11:30 a.m.), American Dad! (12:30 p.m.), Family Guy (1:15 p.m.), Interview with the Vampire (2 p.m.), The Orville (3 p.m.), Mythic Quest (4 p.m.), and Critical Role (5 p.m.). Dan Harmon and his Krapopolis cohorts will discuss their upcoming Fox TV show at 2:45 p.m. in Room 6BCF. Resident Alien makes its SDCC debut in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront’s Indigo Ballroom at 4:15 p.m. with a glimpse at the remaining season 2 episodes, while Chucky takes over the space at 6:45 p.m. for a look at its upcoming second season.
There are also some interesting panels centered on the work of television or specific people involved in making media. “Inside the Writers’ Room” (10 a.m. in 24ABC) returns with moderator Chris Parnell and TV writers Ryan Condal (House of the Dragon), Gabrielle Stanton (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Bo Yeon Kim (Star Trek: Discovery), Ashley E. Miller (DOTA: Dragon’s Blood), Kay Reindl (Shining Vale), Deric A. Hughes (Quantum Leap), V. J. Boyd (SWAT), Mark A. Altman (Glass), and Steven Melching (Magic: The Gathering) discussing how television has changed in the three years since the panel last convened.
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
Directors get the focus at the 7th annual “Women Rocking Hollywood” panel (10:30 a.m. in Room 5AB) with Saudi Arabian female filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour (writer/director, Wadjda, director, Tales of the Walking Dead), Hanelle Culpepper (executive producer/director Anansi Boys, executive producer/director Star Trek: Picard), Martina Mossell Lee (associate producer/director All Rise, director Black Boy Joy), Shaz Bennett (showrunner/director Queen Sugar, executive producer Sovereign), and Andria Wilson Mirza (pictured above; director WIF’s ReFrame) discussing “their latest projects and the many ways women are making space for diverse voices and points of view across all platforms.”
(Photo by Apple TV+)
Executive producers and showrunners Ronald D. Moore, Simon Kinberg, Jonathan Tropper and Megan Ganz will discuss their various Apple TV+ shows during “Storytellers of Apple TV+” at 12:30 p.m. in Room 6A. The panel will also feature a preview from the set of Foundation’s second season and a remote appearance by series creator David Goyer.
Finally, actor Phil LaMarr will be the focus of a spotlight panel taking a look at his varied career in voice work. From series like Justice League, Futurama, Samurai Jack, Static Shock, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he is a stalwart of the industry and Comic-Con luminary Mark Evanier will be on hand to ask him questions spanning from his fan-ish devotions to voicing beloved characters.
And after a hectic Saturday, Sunday will be much more relaxed TV/film event with just two panels in Hall H.
The first, at 12 p.m., will be a Mayans M.C. screening and Q&A. Co-creator Elgin James and series stars JD Pardo, Clayton Cardenas, Danny Pino, Sarah Bolger, Emilio Rivera, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero, Vincent Vargas, Gino Vento, and JR Bourne will be on hand to offer some explanation for their characters choices in recent episodes.
Following at 1:15 p.m. is What We Do In The Shadows. Beyond screening a never-before-seen episode, stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Mark Proksch, and Kristen Schaal are expected to appear alongside executive producers Paul Simms, Stefani Robinson, Yana Gorskaya, and Kyle Newacheck for a Q&A.
