Comic-Con 2013: The Best Sci-Fi Events On Friday, July 19
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The World’s End: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost Reunited
10am – 11am, Hall H
This will be the panel to get in line for the night before. Comic-Con will have Wright, Pegg, and Frost in their element, among their people, so this should be a helluva lot of fun. The focus will obviously be on The World’s End, but maybe we’ll get some hints as to any future projects from the trio as well.
Defiance
10:30am – 11:30am, Room 6A
Syfy’s latest hit just wrapped up its freshman year and is due back for a second season next year, so expect a decent crowd at this one. The panel will include actors Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Jaime Murray, and other cast members from the show. Anyone want to take odds on how long it takes somebody to ask Julie Benz a Buffy/Angel question.
Helix
11:45am – 12:45pm, Room 6A
Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore is back on Syfy with a new science fiction series — is there any question that Comic-Con is the place to reveal more about the project? His new show Helix is said to have shades of The Thing, following a deadly outbreak of some sort that originates in Antarctica. Moore will be on hand, along with executive producer Steven Maeda and writer/co-exec producer Cameron Porsandeh.
Kick-Ass 2 and Riddick
12:15pm – 1:15pm, Hall H
I’m looking forward to Kick-Ass 2 and all, but the big attraction for GFR readers will likely be the Riddick portion of the proceedings, especially since Riddick himself, Vin Diesel, will be on hand to hype up the new sequel, along with his co-stars Katee Sackhoff and Dave Bautista, as well as writer/director David Twohy.
The 100 Pilot Screening and Q&A
12:45pm – 1:45pm, Room 6BCF
If you missed the preview-night screening of The CW’s midseason sci-fi pilot, here’s your second chance. Set after a nuclear apocalypse left mankind dead except for the small groups on orbiting space stations, The 100 has the leadership of the stations sending 100 juvenile delinquents down to the surface to determine if it’s become livable again yet. The pilot will be screened in full, followed by a Q&A with stars Eliza Taylor, Thomas McDonell, Marie Avgeropoulos, and Henry Ian Cusick, as well as exec producers Matthew Miller and Jason Rothberg.
AMC’s The Walking Dead
1:35pm – 2:30pm, Hall H
Well, clearly this show has gotten pretty cocky in its success, not even giving us a full hour. Damn near everybody will be here for this one: actors Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, David Morrissey, Scott Wilson, and Chad Coleman, along with new showrunner Scott Gimple, creator Robert Kirkman, and exec producers Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Alpert, Greg Nicotero. Unsurprisingly, Talking Dead’s Chris Hardwick will moderate.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC
1:45pm – 3pm, Ballroom 20
Whether you are interested in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe TV spinoff — and you totally should be — this one will be a mad house due to the presence of geek royalty Joss Whedon alone. Don’t be surprised if there are some surprises. (Wait, does that make sense?)
The X-Files with Creator Chris Carter
1:45pm – 2:45pm, Room 5AB
X-Files is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and this is the second big event for the show, following the X-Files 20th Anniversary Panel on Thursday. This one purports to focus solely on creator Chris Carter, but I wouldn’t be surprised if David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and some of the others currently scheduled for the Anniversary Panel put in another appearance here.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Live Demo and Q&A
2pm – 3pm, Room 6BCF
Video games don’t occupy nearly as much real estate at Comic-Con as movies, TV, and…well, comic books, but the latest entry in Ubisoft’s time-hopping series is staking out some territory here. In addition to demoing the game, the panel will cover other multimedia tie-ins in the AC universe. On hand will be Black Flag writer Darby McDevitt, comic writer Brenden Fletcher, and comic artist Todd McFarlane.
Sleepy Hollow
3:30pm – 4:30pm, Room 6A
I’m dubious about this new Fox show that has Ichabod Crane — of Headless Horseman fame — dumped into our present and pitted against nefarious forces, yadda yadda yadda. Maybe it’ll surprise me, but it’s from executive producers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman — who are off a lot more than they’re on, box office be damned — and Len Wiseman (the thoroughly unnecessary Total Recall remake), so my expectations are currently taking limbo lessons so they can get loooooooowwwwwwww.
The Long and Winding Trek: Living Long and Prospering – From “The Cage” to Darkness
3:30pm – 4:30pm, 24ABC
This is another one of those panels with an expansive subject — Star Trek — and a fairly odd panel of guests. Participating in the discussions will be Access Hollywood’s Scott Mantz, David A. Goldman (Star Trek: Enterprise), Mars Curiosity Flight Director Bobak Ferdowski (dubbed “Mohawk Guy” by the internet), and Robert Meyer Burnett (Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray Special Editions). Mark Altman (Free Enterprise) will moderate.
Almost Human Pilot Screening and Q&A
4pm – 5pm, Ballroom 20
J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions is hit or miss when it comes to making good shows, but the fact that it’s created by Fringe’s J.H. Wyman automatically gives it huge potential. Almost Human partners a near-future Los Angeles detective (Star Trek’s Karl Urban) with an android, but not in a bad ‘80s movie/badder Adam Sandler movie way. The Con site says the Q&A will include “series stars and producers,” but doesn’t actually specify which ones.
Sony & Screen Gems
4:05pm – 6:15pm, Hall H
This lengthy extravaganza will cover many different upcoming movies, but the main attraction for GFR fans will be the RoboCop remake. It’s got an uphill fight against bad early buzz, but stars Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as director Jose Padilha, will be trying to win fans over.
Falling Skies
4:30pm – 5:30pm, Room 6BCF
Come celebrate TNT’s maddeningly uneven alien-invasion drama with stars Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Collin Cunningham, Sarah Carter, Conner Jessup, and Doug Jones, as well as exec producers Remi Aubuchon and Greg Beeman. Geek icon Wil Wheaton will moderate.
Max Brooks: Zombie Survival and Extinction Parade Insights
6pm – 7pm, Room 7AB
Embittered fans of Max Brooks’ World War Z should take comfort in the fact that he’s surely getting a cut of the sweet, sweet box office that the largely unrelated movie version is raking in. He’ll be discussing his books, as well as his new comic series Extinction Parade, which has him tackling another overused undead phenomenon: vampires.
Dark Horse: Joss Whedon
6:15pm – 7:15pm, Ballroom 20
It’s Joss; it’s going to be a blast. This panel will specifically focus on how his creations such as Buffy, Firefly, and Dollhouse have expanded into the comics world.
BBC America’s Orphan Black
7pm – 8pm, Room 7AB
We aren’t the only ones won over by BBC America’s surprisingly awesome clone drama — it just got a freakin’ Entertainment Weekly cover. Cast and crew on hand will include the ridiculously talented Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Dylan Bruce, and co-creators Graeme Manson and John Fawcett.
