Comic-Con preview: Your best ways to geek out
Convention season is upon us, yet while politicos set their sights on Cleveland and Philadelphia, pop-culture enthusiasts are headed to San Diego.
Comic-Con International, the annual nerd mecca that brings the pop-culture world to the San Diego Convention Center, begins Wednesday with the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond. More than 125,000 attendees will be entertained through July 24 with the biggest and best movies, TV shows, comic books and video games.
"For film studios and TV networks, this is a chance to directly reach out to their core consumers on a personal level," says Fandango.com correspondent Alicia Malone. "And if they impress the audience with their product, fans will spread the word for them and make their properties hugely successful."
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Not all of the faithful can make the journey, so USA TODAY will be on site to give readers the latest. Here are four things we’ll be watching for:
Blockbuster brands
Marvel Studios again showcases its superhero movie fare, and directors Scott Derrickson and James Gunn have already teased that they’ll be on hand for their films Doctor Strange (in theaters Nov. 4) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5), respectively. Not to be outdone, Warner Bros.' panel will tout six upcoming films, from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Nov. 18) to King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (March 24) to Wonder Woman (June 2).
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AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead and HBO’s Game of Thrones form a powerhouse TV block. Dead newcomer Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the villainous Negan, will join fellow series regulars. Thrones cast members are scheduled to appear with executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Fans also can attend a Thrones Hall of Faces interactive exhibit.
Major stars
After Star Trek Beyond actors Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana hit the red carpet at the movie's premiere, Justin Timberlake brings sexy back to Comic-Con, appearing alongside Anna Kendrick for their animated movie Trolls (Nov. 4). Other celebs going geek: Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Viola Davis for Suicide Squad (Aug. 5), and Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston of Kong: Skull Island (March 10). (Might Hiddleston's squeeze Taylor Swift also make the trip?)
Diversity focus
Eyes will be on Luke Cage, the latest Marvel Netflix series starring Mike Colter (Jessica Jones) as the black superhero with unbreakable skin. The impressively diverse cast of Suicide Squad will be on hand, and so will female-led films and TV shows such as Supergirl, Orphan Black and Wonder Woman. Orange Is the New Black’s Laverne Cox, who will play Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Fox’s TV movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show, will attend a panel with cast members Victoria Justice, Christina Milian and Staz Nair.
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Nostalgia
What’s old is new again, and that’s especially true of Power Rangers (March 24), the youth-tinged big-screen update of the popular 1990s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers kids show and movie. For fans of a certain age, Star Trek has a 50th-anniversary panel — with former TV space captains William Shatner and Scott Bakula — followed by an Aliens 30th-anniversary event starring Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton and director James Cameron. Comedy Central’s South Park, which starts its 20th season Sept. 14, will feature an interactive exhibit celebrating 20 classic Park moments. Plus, fans also can get a look at reboots of TV favorites, with panels for Fox’s Prison Break and 24: Legacy and CBS’MacGyver.
