Happy Comic-Con! It’s that time of year when pop-culture fans from around the world descend upon San Diego, California for a few days of hardcore fandom. From TV to movies to comics to video games and everything in between, San Diego Comic-Con is still a major event for so many people, and while this year may feel light for movies, it will not be light when it comes to major announcements and stars in attendance.
We collected a full list of the biggest movie-related panels at the convention this year, and you can check that out below. First, though, here is a taste of what fans are anticipating the most.
The Most Anticipated "Future of Film" Panel: The Future of Film is Female
When: Friday, July 19 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: Room 5AB at the San Diego Convention Center
Fandango correspondent Alicia Malone, who wrote The Female Gaze and Backwards and In Heels, is returning to San Diego Comic-Con to moderate “The Future of Film is Female,” a spirited conversation about the past, present and future of women working in genre film. Joining Malone are trailblazing industry leaders – including breakout director Julia Hart, veteran producer Gale Anne Hurd and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison – who will exchange perspectives on the evolving industry, discuss films that inspired them and share insights about their upcoming projects.
The Most Anticipated Presentation: Marvel Studios
When: Saturday, July 20th from 5:15pm to 6:45pm
Where: Hall H
Marvel Studios returns to Hall H for the first time in a couple of years, and never have there been as many unanswered questions as there is now. While we have an idea of the Marvel movies on the horizon – Black Widow, The Eternals, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – this will be the moment when Marvel chief Kevin Feige takes the stage and puts a ring on it. What will they announce? What will they show? Who will be on that stage?
Cancel your plans for Saturday night and follow us right here for all the latest.
The Most Anticipated Movie: It Chapter Two
When: Wednesday, July 17th from from 8:00 p.m. to TBD
The night before Comic-Con officially kicks off is slowly becoming one of the most important nights of the entire convention. This year, Warner Bros. will not be in Hall H, but they will be hosting ScareDiego, an event that is quickly becoming an annual tradition for the studio to tout their upcoming scary movies. This year the focus of the event will be It Chapter Two, with talent from the movie expected to be there in addition to new footage being revealed.
Other films we could see teased at ScareDiego include Doctor Sleep and The Conjuring 3.
The Most Anticipated Trailer: Terminator: Dark Fate (But also! Top Gun 2? Black Widow?)
When: Thursday, July 18th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Hall H
As with every year at Comic-Con, we don’t know which new movie trailers are going to drop prior to the convention. Considering Terminator: Dark Fate has its own Hall H presentation, we assume the next trailer for that film will be shown to the Con crowd and then hopefully arrive online for all to see. If you’re Paramount Studios, though, how do you come to Comic-Con and not give us a tiny tease of next year’s Top Gun 2?
Similarly, Marvel Studios won’t host a Hall H presentation without bringing a little tease of their next film, which is Black Widow. Historically, Marvel doesn’t tend to release the footage they show to the Con crowd, so if you’re not in Hall H, you may not get to see whatever it is they show – however, follow Fandango on Twitter for updates and footage descriptions live from the Hall H floor.
The Most Anticipated Party: Entertainment Weekly’s Annual Bash
When: Saturday July 20th
It’s the most star-studded party at San Diego Comic-Con, and it returns this year bigger than ever. This year’s Saturday Night Bash is sponsored by HBO, and so one can expect the stars of shows like His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones, Watchmen and Westworld to be in attendance, schmoozing it up as they sip on cocktails and reminisce about another memorable convention.
The Most Anticipated Activation: The Batman Experience
When: Thursday July 18th-Sunday July 21st.
Where: The San Diego Comic Con Museum at Balboa Park
There is so much to experience at San Diego Comic-Con that is not actually inside the convention center and is instead outside amidst the streets of downtown San Diego. One of the most anticipated experiences is The Batman Experience, an 80th anniversary celebration that involves a 68,000 square foot exhibit featuring costumes, props, vehicles, comics and various Batman-related items that span the character’s entire 80-year existence.
Those are just the most anticipated panels, trailers, parties and activations. Here is a larger list of the movie-specific presence at this year's convention.
Wednesday
ScareDiego
8:00pm-TBD
Warner Bros. will preview this fall's It Chapter Two.
Thursday
Terminator: Dark Fate
11:00am – 12:00pm – Hall H
Paramount Pictures brings a Terminator: Dark Fate panel discussion and footage presentation with talent and filmmakers.
7th Annual Musical Anatomy of a Superhero: Film and TV Composer Panel
11:30am – 12:30pm – Ballroom 20
Music has always been an important supporting character in movies; it goes to another level in the superhero film genre where the music sets a tone that helps define a character, an impending battle, or a triumphant moment. The annual Musical Anatomy of a Superhero returns with a Justice League/Avenger panel of superhero composers of superhero films. Unreleased music and video clips from upcoming and recently released projects will be featured. Leading Hollywood composers will explain the process and challenges of creating music behind the superhero genre, along with collaborating with the director, producers, and the franchise. Composer panelists include Pinar Toprak (Captain Marvel, Krypton), Benjamin Wallfisch (Shazam!, Hellboy), Sherri Chung (Batwoman, Super Girl), Blake Neely (Batwoman, The Flash), Christopher Lennertz (The Boys, Agent Carter), and moderator Michael Giacchino (Spider-Man: Far From Home, Dr. Strange), with introductions by Ray Costa (Costa Communications).
You’re Wrong, Leonard Maltin
1:00pm – 2:00pm – Room 6BCF
“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”—Harlan Ellison. Film critic Leonard Maltin is the ultimate movie fan and his reviews are legendary. But . . . are they “right”? In the spirit of kindness and with the communal understanding that film is subjective and opinions come in all colors of the rainbow, “You’re Wrong, Leonard Maltin” gives audience members a rare opportunity to challenge the movie master himself on his categorical cinematic conclusions. It’s a conversation between battling beliefs . . . and possibly the only chance you will ever get in your life to convince Leonard Maltin that his movie methodology is mortally mistaken and, in fact, WRONG. Perhaps best known for his eponymous annual book of movie capsule reviews, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, which was published from 1969 to 2014, Leonard and his daughter Jessie Maltin, who together host the Maltin on Movies podcast, are willing to take on all comers who have a gripe over one of Leonard’s reviews. Marquess of Queensbury rules will be enforced, but anyone who wants to have a lively discussion is welcome to spar (verbally) with America’s best-known film critic.
35th Anniversary of Ghostbusters
3:00pm – 4:00pm – The Theater, Comic-Con Museum
Over three decades ago, four men, the iconic Ecto-1, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man entered our lives. Since then, the proton pack is a constant cosplay want, and fans can’t help singing along to the classic theme song. The franchise spawned countless comics and animated series. With the future Ghostbuster film to look forward to, Jessica Tseang (founder, Positive Pop Culture/Persisted Media Group) discusses with panelists from the original trilogy.
The Art of Ghibli
4:30pm – 5:30pm – Horton Grand Theatre
Have you ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes of the anime films and television series we all know and love? Would you like to learn the trade secrets and day-to-day job profiles of one of Japan’s most lucrative industries? Well here’s your chance to find out with anime industry insider Kihara Hirokatsu. Kihara will talk about his time working on some of the most iconic anime films of all time. Attendees will also have a chance to glimpse some incredibly rare pieces of animation history! Kihara Hirokatsu formerly worked at the Studio Ghibli production desk and was involved in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Nowadays he writes ghost stories and MCs at monster conventions. His most famous work is Tales of Terror: Haunted Apartment, which has been a crucial contributor to many other hits in this genre.
Friday
Writing Avengers: Endgame
10:00am – 10:50am – Hall H
Screenwriters/producers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Avengers: Endgame) chat with Backstory magazine’s (www.backstory.net) publisher/editor-in-chief Jeff Goldsmith (The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith Podcast) about what it took to plot, write, rewrite, and film both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame as back-to-back productions for this historic wrap-up of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s amazing 22-film journey.
A Conversation with the Russo Brothers
11:00am – 11:50am – Hall H
For the Russo Brothers, Avengers: Endgame was the culmination of an unprecedented four-film, seven-year journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has included some of the most iconic experiences in modern cinema. Come hear directors Joe and Anthony Russo reflect on Endgame and their epic road to it as they segue into life beyond Marvel with their new company, AGBO, which happens to include an exciting array of new and old creative friends. With AGBO, the Russo Brothers aim to nurture talent and create best-in-class content while keeping creative control fully in the hands of the artists. Moderated by Collider’s editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub.
Saturday
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: A Master Class with Guillermo del Toro, “The Making of a Monster”
4:00pm – 5:00pm – Horton Grand Theatre
Fantasy master and Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro (producer) and acclaimed director André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) give movie fans an exclusive window into their visionary process bringing the book series’ iconic and terrifying illustrations to life for the upcoming thriller Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark . This intimate master class will also debut an original monster created specifically for the film and include a Q&A with the audience. It’s 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind . . . but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley, where for generations the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time-stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home. In theaters August 9. A CBS Films/eOne Entertainment presentation, a Lionsgate release
Marvel Studios
5:15pm – 6:45pm – Hall H
Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige and surprise panelists provide an inside look at the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Kevin Smith Reboots Hall H!
7:15pm – 9:00pm – Hall H
Like long lines and oversized giveaway bags, Ink Pot Award-winner Kevin Smith has become an inevitable fixture of Comic-Con. But instead of hitting the stage and talking about past glories like he usually does, this year Smitty’s bringing a new movie to Hall H-a new flick that’s built on . . . past glories. See the world premiere of the Jay & Silent Bob Reboot trailer, followed by a Hall H-only sneak preview of the movie-within-a-movie scene from the reboot Jay and Silent Bob are trying to stop: Bluntman V Chronic ! Joined by star Jason Mewes and other funny folks from the flick, this panel will be far from Silent, Bob!
