Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated events in pop culture and art is the Comic-Con convention held in San Diego, California.

After two years of mandatory recess due to the scourge of the pandemic, fans, and artists of comics, graphic novels, and illustrators, along with film and television producers and actors who have adapted their works, will meet this week for five days, beginning the night of Wednesday, July 20.

Hall H, with a capacity of over 6,000 seats, will once again be filled with fans who will be able to find out the latest details about their favorite characters before anyone else. According to Forbes magazine, San Diego Comic-Con, or SDCC, is the largest event of its kind in the world, motivating Hollywood every year to have this appointment on its calendar to convene directors, writers, and actors.

This year, we will see figures from Keanu Reeves to the president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, as well as panels dedicated to issues that concern the world such as diversity, inclusion, and how multicultural content is vital to stir interest all around the planet.

On Thursday, there will be a touch of nostalgia inside Hall H when the first images of Dungeons & Dragons, an adaptation of the role-playing game founded in the 70s, are shown. Thanks to its appearance in the Stranger Things series, the game has caught the attention of new generations.

The film stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodríguez, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Liliss, and Hugh Grant, with several of them announced to be present and willing to answer questions from fans.

When the Paramount+ streaming channel was inaugurated on March 4, 2021, the effects of Covid-19 prevented its productions from being announced at the then-canceled Comic-Con.

But now, Paramount+ has the opportunity to present the cast of Teen Wolf: The Movie, an adaptation of the popular television series (2011-2017), and the 1985 film with multiple Golden Globe winner Michael J. Fox. Actors such as Tyler Posey, Holland Roden, and Crystal Reed are expected to attend.

Paramount Pictures will also take advantage of Thursday to honor one of its most legendary stars, William Shatner, whose character, Captain James T. Kirk, has been part of the Star Trek franchise, leaving a trail of television series, movies, comics, books and memorabilia since its premiere in 1966.

Director and host Kevin Smith promises an unforgettable question-and-answer session with the 91-year-old icon who will discuss his legacy and new projects, including a documentary about his life.

As has been the case for decades, SDCC will present productions in Hall H that will possibly have lines of fans camping at early hours – if not even the night before. The new series The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power will put the cast of this Amazon Prime production under the same roof for the first time.

The series will explore the second era of Middle-Earth, a place conceived by the author J.R.R. Tolkien in his stories of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, already made into movies by Peter Jackson.

Preceding a thousand years to the events of Golden Globe winner The Lord of the Rings, the new show is developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and will star actors such as Morfydd Clark, Charles Edwards, Robert Aramayo, Benjamin Walker, Ismael Cruz Córdoba, and Ema Horvath.

Friday’s lunchtime will be marked by The Walking Dead fans as the AMC channel dedicates two hours to talk about the epic story of eight episodes that will be released next fall.

Creators and actors will present the new series Tales of the Walking Dead, which will premiere in August and will tell the individual stories of characters in an apocalyptic world where death feeds on the living. Expect a lot of excitement at these panels.

In an example of how a fan of the comics went on to star in and then write them, Keanu Reeves, who previously starred in DC Comics’ adaptation of Constantine (2005), will take the stage at SDCC to talk about his creation BRZRKR comic, whose first issue went to print in March 2021.

That generated great enthusiasm among the actor’s fans. The project, with co-writer Matt Kindt and graphic artist Ron Garney, is in development to jump to the Netflix screen with the 57-year-old actor, who will take the opportunity at SDCC to give clues on the adaptation.

On Saturday, you won’t want to be left behind in excitement in the SDCC. Warner Bros., owners of DC Comics, will take the opportunity, led by Dwayne Johnson, to present new trailers and a preview of his Black Adam scenes, while Zachary Levi will do the same with Shazam!

Warner Bros. and its subsidiary, HBO, will have in its panel the series House of the Dragon, the new kingdom located in the neighborhood of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. The story takes place 200 years before the telling of the Golden Globe-winning series with Peter Dinklage heading home to the Targaryens and ruling the times.

Actors such as Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D’Arcy will grace Hall H alongside producer Ryan Condal and his partner Miguel Sapochnik, as well as George R. R. Martin, the famous author responsible for Fire & Blood, the novel on which the series is based and which will be released in August.

Another name who will be in the SDCC this year is Neil Gaiman, whose adaptation project of his legendary The Sandman is one of the most anticipated by fans of his comic series.

Warner Bros. announced that there will be a video presentation in which artists and filmmakers will reveal more about the series that premieres on August 5 on Netflix. The presentation is surrounded by mystery, like its series’ main character of the world of dreams.

Although Disney will have its D23 event this year to talk about the details of its universes, Marvel will take advantage of the SDCC to present the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, who will have an extensive question and answer session on the new phase of the so-called MCU, which, since the pandemic began, are also available on Disney+.

FX Network’s Latin-flavored series Mayans M.C. will take over Hall H on Sunday, bringing the likes of JD Pardo, Danny Pino, and Emilio Rivera to join a special screening, while the cast of the vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows will also be live with its fans, promising the atmosphere of the best vampire nightclub.

SDCC will have spaces in its Hall H during the week to celebrate the cast of the different versions of the Star Trek series, the new Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film and the 40 years of Masters of the Universe, an event in which people from different nationalities will meet, not only to share their projects on paper or screen but to celebrate that pop culture is more alive than ever.

 

Translated by Mario Amaya