Comic-Con 2013: The Best Sci-Fi Attractions On Saturday, July 20
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Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Preview Their Upcoming Lineups
10:45am – 1:15pm, Hall H
Legendary and Warner Bros. have two genre heavy hitters in the spotlight for this year’s Comic-Con: the Godzilla reboot and Alfonso Cuarón’s long-awaited Gravity. We’ve already seen the marketing press for Godzilla kicking in, with a viral campaign launching and San Diego suffering “Godzilla damage.” It hasn’t been confirmed which cast might show up for the panel, but you can likely expect director Gareth Edwards and actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson (also at the Con for Kick-Ass 2) and Bryan Cranston (on hand for Breaking Bad). Keep your fingers crossed for a first teaser trailer. On the Gravity front, expect director Cuarón and don’t be surprised if stars George Clooney and/or Sandra Bullock put in an appearance.
Inside the Writer’s Room: Earth’s Mightiest TV Writers Assemble
11:30am – 12:30pm, Room 24ABC
This panel will be of particular interest to any Con attendees hoping to build a career in television writing, but this lineup should also be plenty entertaining to fans of the shows penned by the guest lineup. You’ve got Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman, Lost), Ashley E. Miller (Fringe, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Amy Berg (Eureka), Steve Melching (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Gabrielle Stanton (Haven), Jose Molina (Firefly, Sleepy Hollow), Sarah Watson (The Middleman), Mark A. Altman (Castle), and “surprise guests.”
Futurama
12pm – 12:45pm, Ballroom 20
With the recent announcement that the show is (yet again) canceled, expect this panel to be a little bittersweet. Hilarious, but bittersweet. On hand will be Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, David Herman, Phil LaMarr, and Lauren Tom, plus exec producer David X. Cohen and creator Matt Groening.
Live Forever: The Ray Bradbury Odyssey
1pm – 2pm, Room 25ABC
This look at the upcoming Ray Bradbury documentary will explore the iconic writer’s life and legacy. The panel will include Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Edward James Olmos (Dexter), Clifton Collins, Jr. (Star Trek), Michael O’Kelly (executive producer/director), Scott E. Smith (picture editor), Shawn K. Clement (composer), James W. Speight (music editor), and Ugo Derouard (supervising sound editor).
Star Wars vs. Serenity
1:30pm – 2:30pm, Room 24ABC
Dark Horse PR director Jeremy Atkins, editor-in- chief Scott Allie, and Dark Horse resident Jedi Randy Stradley will be updating the ongoing legacies of Star Wars and Serenity in the comic book world, including “exclusive announcements, games, prizes, and more.”
Lionsgate – Featuring I, Frankenstein and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
1:35pm – 2:35pm, Hall H
Expect this one to have massive lines thanks to the Hunger Games factor. It’ll be interesting to see if the second film in that series packs ’em in like the Twilight movies used to. Assuming I, Frankenstein doesn’t look terrible, it should benefit from leading in to the popular young adult franchise. Representing Frankenstein you’ll have actors Aaron Eckhart and Yvonne Strahovski, as well as writer/director Stuart Beattie and screenwriter Kevin Grevioux. No word who will be on stage for Catching Fire, but if I were a betting man I’d bet on Jennifer Lawrence at the very least.
Entertainment Weekly’s Women Who Kick Ass
2:55pm – 3:55pm, Hall H
I’m not sure when we decided Entertainment Weekly was made the arbiter of ass-kickery, but this panel will let you catch up with Lost‘s Michelle Rodriguez, Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany, and The Walking Dead‘s Danai Gurira.
Person of Interest Special Video Presentation and Q&A
4pm – 4:45pm, Room 6BCF
CBS’ sci-fi procedural is more timely than ever in this age of NSA surveillance and questions of privacy rights, so expect those topics to be explored. Executive producers Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight) and Greg Plageman will be “joined by the series stars for a special video presentation and Q&A.” That sounds like Nolan and Plageman will actually be in person on the stage, but that’s not a sure thing based on the panel description.
Behind the Scenes with Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead Game Series
4pm – 5pm, Room 23ABC
Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman will be on hand to discuss Telltale’s acclaimed game series spin-off, along with Telltale’s CEO Dan Connors, President and CTO Kevin Bruner, and PlayStation’s Director of Product Planning & Platform Software Innovation, SCEA, Don Mesa.
20th Century Fox
4:15pm – 5:45pm, Hall H
There are no details at all for this one on the official Comic-Con site, but Fox is expected to be hyping Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, with Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, and director Matt Reeves participating.
Revolution Special Video Presentation
4:50pm – 5:50pm, Room 6BCF
Apparently NBC’s Revolution will be taking the “special video presentation” route as CBS’ Person of Interest, but also looks to actually have some of the talent on hand. No word which ones at this point, only that the panel will include “a special Q&A with series stars and producers.” Creator Eric Kripke seems like a gimme.
Warehouse 13
5pm – 6pm, Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Looks like you’ll actually have to leave the convention center for this one. Stars Eddie McClintock (Pete), Joanne Kelly (Myka), Saul Rubinek (Artie), and Allison Scagliotti (Claudia) will be on hand, along with executive producer Jack Kenny.
Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski
5:30pm – 6:30pm, Room 7AB
JMS has been a staple at Comic-Con over the years, and he’s got plenty to discuss this year, including his recently resurrected Joe’s Comics imprint and an upcoming Netflix series with the Wachowskis, Sense8.
The Tomorrow People Pilot Screening and Q&A
5:55pm – 6:55pm, Room 6BCF
The CW is doubling down with science fiction content in the upcoming fall season, and this is your chance to get an early look at this remake of the cult-favorite British series. Series stars Robbie Amell (1600 Penn), Peyton List (Mad Men), and Mark Pellegrino (Lost) will be on hand, along with executive producers Greg Berlanti (Green Lantern), Phil Klemmer (Chuck), and Danny Cannon (Nikita).
Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey
6pm – 7pm, Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
If I were getting out to San Diego this year, this would be a must-see for me. The panel and Q&A will include astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, writer/executive producer Ann Druyan, and executive producer/director Brannon Braga (Star Trek), all of whom are working to resurrect Carl Sagan’s classic series for Fox.
