Next week, some of the biggest movies and TV shows Hollywood has to offer will head a few hours south to San Diego forComic-Con2015, which runs from Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 12. Last week, before the officialComic-Con schedulewas released, we tried to break down some of the surprises that the studios and networks may have in store for fans, since many of the big events at every Con aren’t found on the official schedule. This year will surely be no exception, and several of the studios are even feeding into this, with the lineups for Open Road Films and 20th Century Fox still shrouded in mystery. We can speculate on what movies these studios will showcase until the cows come home, but we won’t know for sure what exactly will be on display until everyone has been seated in Hall H for each presentation. Last year, the movie studios gave us a number of surprises, such as the firstMad Max: Fury Roadtrailer, the first Wonder Woman photo fromBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the announcement ofGodzilla 2andKong: Skull Island,Bruce Campbellcoming back as Ash forAsh Vs. Evil DeadandBiz Markie’s “Just a Friend” performance duringThe Book of Lifepanel. One of the biggest surprises, however, is the lack of several major players this year.
It has already been announced that Marvel Studios isn’t presenting anything atComic Con, sinceCaptain America: Civil Waris still in the midst of production, along with Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures. Universal Pictures doesn’t have a panel as well, but several of their movies will be on display at the Legendary Pictures presentation, since they distribute all of Legendary’s films. This means that fans won’t get any updates about Sony’s newSpider-Manmovie, Paramount’sTransformers 5and Universal’s shared monster universe, just to name a few. The 7,000-seat Hall H will be largely occupied by hit TV shows, withGame of Thrones,The Walking Dead,Heroes Rebornand many, many other TV programs holding their panels in Hall H. Does that mean there won’t be any movies worth checking out in Hall H and other venues in and around the San Diego Convention Center? Not by a longshot! While SDCC is evolving into a more TV-friendly landscape, movies will never completely be out of the picture, and there are some terrific ones that will be on display this year.
Among the beloved and highly-anticipated movies coming to SDCC this year are the finalThe Hunger GamesmovieThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Legendary’sCrimson Peak,KrampusandWarcraftand Screen Gems’Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. These are just the tip of the iceberg, though, with The Weinstein Company presentingThe Hateful Eight, and even Syfy getting in the mix with the TV movieSharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, set to debut just a few weeks after SDCC. Oh yeah, and there are two behemoths known asStar Wars: The Force AwakensandBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicethat will bring the Con to its knees with, presumably, brand new footage for the most rabid fans on the planet.
So, with all that in mind, we’re breaking down the 11 movies you need to see atComic-Conthroughout the four-day convention. Sure, the TV projects have a bigger presence than usual at the Con this year, a trend that will not likely reverse in the years to come, but as long as there is an audience for superhero movies and comic book adaptations, there will be a place for them both at the San Diego Convention. These 11 movies represent the biggest and best that this year’s Con has to offer, and their panels should create headlines all around the world. In fact, we’d be surprised if these movies somehow manage to underwhelm the crowd at this year’sComic-Con, but given how anticipated these projects are, it seems highly-unlikely that will happen. Even if you can’t make it to San Diego this year, we’ll have coverage from these 11 movies and everything else the Con has to offer all throughout the week. If you want to check out the full schedule for the four-day convention, visit the officialComic-Con website, but keep reading to learn more about the 11 biggest movies at SDCC.
11Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Every year, each Friday of the Con isStar WarsDay, but for the first time in a decade, fans actually have a newStar Warsmovie to celebrate withStar Wars: The Force Awakens.LucasFilmconfirmed last month that producerKathleen Kennedy, directorJ.J. Abrams, writerLawrence Kasdanwill be on hand for theStar Wars: The Force Awakenspresentation, along with “special guests” who have yet to be announced. Naturally, it hasn’t been confirmed what will actually be shown during the panel, but it will most likely be the third trailer. It’s also possible that some of these “surprise guests” could not only be fromStar Wars: The Force Awakens, but otherStar Warsmovies as well. Casting is well under way on the firstStar WarsspinoffStar Wars Anthology: Rogue One, and LucasFilm could bring out the full cast on theComic-Constage. It’s also possible thatStar Wars: Episode VIIIwriter-directorRian Johnsonmakes a surprise appearance to reveal anything about his sequel, such as the title, plot, the first cast members, anything, really.
10Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Aside fromStar Wars: The Force Awakens,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceis easily the most anticipated movie at SDCC. Sure, Warner Bros. still hasn’t officially confirmedBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s presence at SDCC, butJesse Eisenbergessentially did so when he said he would be at the Con. Besides, this will be the third year in a rowBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewill have some sort of presence atComic-Con. In 2013, just months afterMan of Steelopened in theaters, directorZack Snyderand actorHarry Lennixunveiled theBatman v Supermanlogo to the screamingHall Hfans, and last year, the director showed off the first footage from the movie, along with our first look atGal Gadotin her Wonder Woman costume. As for this year, hopefully the filmmakers will reveal the first full-length trailer, perhaps showing some of the actual, epic fight between both of these title heroes. We’ll find out for sure in just a few short days.
9The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
The first bigComic-Conpanel of the week is for Lionsgate’sThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2Hall H panel on Thursday, which, barring any big announcements, could be the last Hunger Games franchise panel. Yes, Lionsgate extended the threeSuzanne Collins' novels to four movies, as is standard operating procedure in Hollywood these days, but there is still a chance that fans will see more from the dystopian land of Panem afterThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2hits theaters. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer revealed to investors in February that the studio is “thinking about prequel and sequel possibilities” to continue their blockbuster franchise, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given how lucrative these movies are, and the fact that spinoffs and prequels are more popular than ever. Warner Bros. is going back to its lucrative Harry Potter well for the spinoffFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which marks the screenwriting debut of authorJ.K. Rowling. Lionsgate hasn’t revealed who will be attending this panel yet, but we’ll have to wait and see if they plan on announcing any continuation to the franchise here, or if they just give the final movie a proper send off.
8X-Men: Apocalypse
Unfortunately, 20th Century Fox is keeping mum about what they will reveal at SDCC this year, but directorBryan Singerrevealed this week that he is “hoping” to bring something fromX-Men: Apocalypse, set for release on August 18, 2025. Production has been under way in Montreal for the past few months, so it’s possible that they could cut together some sort of early teaser to show the fans, or perhaps reveal new concept art which gives us our first official look at the villainous Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). Honestly, practically anything revealed about this movie would likely be far more than anything we already know. At this point, we know it’s set in 1983, it will be the last movie in this current trilogy, followingX-Men: First ClassandX-Men: Days of Future Past, but that’s about it. I don’t expect any sort of extensive footage shown during the Fox panel, but, at the very least, they could shed new light about where this story is going, and where the franchise will go from here.
20th Century Fox also has not confirmed the inclusion ofDeadpoolat their Hall H panel, but since it actually comes out a few months beforeX-Men: Apocalypse, it’s probably a safe bet that we’ll see the Merc With the Mouth in Hall H.Rob Liefeld, who created theDeadpoolcharacter, will also be hiding 24 original sketches of his beloved character all over the San Diego Convention Center and surrounding areas. As for the panel itself, it’s possible we could see the first trailer, since principal photography wrapped just over a month ago, but it remains to be seen ifRyan Reynoldsand/or any of his co-stars will make the trek to San Diego this year. With Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures skipping the Con this year, it gives both Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox the chance to take the spotlight with their superhero adaptations, and, while Fox may want to keep their panel a secret, one would imagine they just have to shine a spotlight on bothDeadpoolandX-Men: Apocalypse.
6The Hateful Eight
Quentin Tarantinois bringing his eighth movie,The Hateful Eight, to SDCC, giving fans an exclusive first look at this revenge Western, which wrapped principal photography last month. It isn’t known yet if this first look will be a full trailer, or perhaps just an extended scene that has already been cut together in the first few weeks of principal photography. There will also be a Q&A with the cast, but it hasn’t been confirmed which members of this immense ensemble cast will be joining QT for the panel. One doesn’t often find Westerns embedded within the comic-heavy lineup of SDCC, but anything involvingQuentin Tarantinosurely draws a crowd, and you can expect Hall H to be jam-packed for a first look atThe Hateful Eight, in theaters this Christmas. Personally, I hope the director discusses the infamous script leak, which almost caused this movie never to happen at all, but we’ll have to wait and see what the outspoken filmmaker talks about in just a few days' time.
We know thatWarcraftwill be a part of Legendary Pictures' Hall H panel that also includesCrimson Peak,The Great WallandKrampus, but, as is par for the course, the studio didn’t reveal who will be taking to theComic-Constage for this movie. While we still have just under a year until directorDuncan Jones' video game adaptation hits theaters in June, principal photography has been wrapped for quite some time, so we could very well get the first trailer in this panel. All we’ve seen from the movie thus far are a few character posters, so even if a trailer doesn’t debut, we could still get a look at some concept art or even some rough footage, without the visual effects. Fans have been waiting quite some time for any sort of sneak peek atWarcraft, so we can only hope that Legendary does right by these eagerly-awaiting fans of the Horde and the Alliance.
4Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Author Jane Austen’s work normally doesn’t go hand-in-hand with the fanboy-friendly crowd atComic-Con, but when you throw zombies into the mix, well, that’s a different story entirely. Screen Gems has confirmed that starsLily James,Sam Riley,Bella Heathcote,Douglas Booth,Jack Huston,Matt Smithand writer/directorBurr Steerswill be on hand for this Hall H panel, which will include a first look at the film, most likely the trailer, along with a Q&A session with the aforementioned panelists. Given that there just isn’t much known about this adaptation ofSeth Grahame-Smith’s novel, based on Jane Austen’s original classic Pride and Prejudice, this could turn out to be one of the sleeper hits of the Con. Of course, that all depends on how the audience reacts to the footage, but stranger things have surely happened at SDCC. It will be interesting to see if there are any Jane Austen cosplayers who come out of the woodwork for thisPride and Prejudice and Zombiespanel.
3Crimson Peak
DirectorGuillermo del Torohas not been confirmed to be in attendance at this panel, but given how beloved he is by the SDCC faithful, his appearance at theCrimson Peakpanel is almost a foregone conclusion. This haunted house thriller boasts an all-star cast, includingCharlie Hunnam,Jessica Chastain,Tom Hiddleston,Mia WasikowskaandDoug Jones, so we’ll have to wait and see who all shows up for the panel. We’ve already gotten two trailers forCrimson Peakso far, so it isn’t immediately clear what will be put on display in this panel. Perhaps it will be yet another trailer, or an extended scene that nobody has seen yet, but regardless, theCrimson Peaksneak peek should inject some thrills and scares into the Hall H crowd.
2The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
This project hasn’t been confirmed as a part of Warner Bros.' panel either, but since it hits theaters on August 14, it would be surprising if the studio didn’t showcase this adaptation of the hit 1960s TV series. Besides, the film starsHenry Cavill, who will surely be on hand for the studio’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicepresentation, so I’m sure they will kill two birds with one stone and present either a new trailer or a never-before-seen clip. It isn’t known ifHenry Cavill’s co-starsArmie Hammer,Hugh Grant,Jared Harris,Elizabeth Debickior directorGuy Ritchieare also making the trek to San Diego as well. Since the movie opens in just under a month, I wouldn’t be surprised if the studio announced some sort of secret screening ofThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.that night, for fans in attendance at the panel, but we’ll have to wait and see.
