Marvel‘s vast $8 billion superhero empire has dominated San Diego’s Comic-Con for years. In my opinion, their films are formulaic, but fans enjoy the cinematic universe Marvel has carved out and the status they’ve prominently taken at the convention. Now, this year will be different, Marvel will be a no-show for San Diego (in favor of D23 next month) and DC has a chance to steal the show and bask in the limelight with their superhero cinematic cosmos.
DC/Warner Bros. will present a panel, on Saturday, July 11th, that will feature actors from Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg,) Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot,) Justice League (Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller) and Suicide Squad (Jared Leto, Will Smith, Cara Delevingne, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman.) This will be the first time all these projects will come together. So, fans will line up outside the convention center days before just to guarantee themselves a place in the hall.
Warner Bros. president of worldwide marketing and international distribution Sue Kroll had this to say about the event.
“Comic-Con is a global event and offers a unique opportunity to interact directly with the passionate fans who flock to the convention from here and abroad and whose voice can be critical in a campaign. Our goal has always been to surpass even their high expectations. But with the rise of social media, the impact of a strong showing can truly reach around the world.”
The only competition for Warner Bros. could come from another Disney property, Star Wars. With the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie arriving in theaters in December, many of the actors from the film are expected to be present. To give attendees a constant reminder there will be more Stormtroopers present than usual on the convention floor. Also, Disney plans on rolling out news on the franchise at a panel on Friday, July 10th, which may include who will replace director Josh Trank in the spinoff or more casting news for the Rogue One film.
Fox and Legendary Pictures will hold panels on Saturday. Fox will be presenting the stars from X-Men: Apocalypse which will include Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Also, the studio will have the lead actors from Fantastic Four and The Maze Runner sequel The Scorch Trials. Legendary’s panel will include fan favorite writer/director Guillermo del Toro, who will be showcasing his upcoming horror film Crimson Peak and talent from the comedy-horror film Krampus and the action-fantasy-adventure feature Warcraft.
Sources: thehollywoodreporter, IMDb