The internet is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E. with Comic-Con movie news, and with good reason: Hollywood has completely overtaken the world’s biggest comic book convention over the last decade, nearly pushing comics out of the limelight altogether. That’s a tragic story for comic book fans, but if all you care about is movies, it makes one week in July the most anticipated week of the year for sci-fi, fantasy, superhero and otherwise geek-related movie announcements, casting revelations, exclusive footage and veritable gluts of high quality interviews with all the stars, filmmakers and industry icons you actually want to hear from, and who actually know what’s going on in the entertainment industry.
But before it begins in earnest (Thursday through Saturday are going to be particularly insane, so refresh your browsers regularly), we’re taking a look ahead at the various panels scheduled in Hall H and predicting – nay, praying – we get Comic-Con movie news that we actually want to see, and not just one studio after another plugging their wares hoping that one of them happens to get a little extra traction from the target demographic. Comic-Con is the place to stand out, make a real impression, and show the fans you care with exclusive news they can’t get anywhere else.
Here are the 9 News Stories We Want from Comic-Con 2013.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The 9 Comic-Con Movie News Stories We Want in 2013
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9. Special Guest Appearance... by Godzilla
Surprise celebrity guest appearances are a regular feature at Comic-Con, particularly in Hall H, but no celebrity could be bigger - literally or figuratively - than Godzilla himself. Whether a giant foot just descends onto the stage of Hall H or a guy in an original Godzilla suit just shows up and takes questions - "How do you feel about the remake?" "RAWR." - a special appearance by the original Kaiju might very well make everyone's summer.
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8. Peter Jackson's Tintin
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Hergé's international comic book sensation Tintin was a major blockbuster success, but Peter Jackson's follow-up was put on hold so he could finish the Hobbit trilogy. We don't expect Jackson to show up, but Columbia Pictures has a big panel this year, and Comic-Con would be the perfect place for an update, title announcement or at least a release schedule for the second film in the blockbuster trilogy.
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7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer
Whether you loved The Amazing Spider-Man or hated it (and we've got a good cross-section of both here at CraveOnline), all the news, casting and behind the scenes pictures have probably got you excited that Marc Webb's follow-up, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, will be even better than the last. It's got a big panel in Hall H, and we'd be shocked if Sony didn't take this opportunity to premiere footage from the film. In fact, if they don't at least show something there will probably be a riot.
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6. The X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer
Bryan Singer wowed Comic-Con audiences back in 2002 with the completely edited "berzerker rage" scene from his X2: X-Men United. Now that he's directing X-Men: Days of Future Past, and a good way into production, we hope he can pull it off again with another scene or at least a proper teaser trailer to his anticipated superhero sequel. He's adapting one of the most treasured stories in the X-Men canon, and proving to audiences that he can do it right (particularly after disappointing action movies like Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer) would really help win fans back to his side and build buzz for the new film.
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5. The Fantastic Four Cast
Josh Trank's reboot of the Fantastic Four movie franchise is one of the most anticipated releases of 2015, but aside from a few casting rumors, news has been very, very scarce. But with Fox coming out to Comic-Con in force, the time is right to at least announce some of the casting for Fantastic Four, and to trot them out on stage in Hall H.
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4. The Future of DC Superhero Movies
Man of Steel wasn't quite the unstoppable success story Warner Bros. was hoping for, but they have no reason to be discouraged, and we just know they have to have something planned for a follow-up beyond Man of Steel 2. With Marvel Studios taking up so much of the limelight at Comic-Con every year, Warner Bros. is in the perfect position to steal their thunder by announcing the production of Wonder Woman, The Flash, a Batman reboot, Justice League or even Guillermo del Toro's supernatural superhero team-up, Dark Justice.
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3. Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 3
Marvel Studios is bound to show some kind of footage of Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Heck, maybe even a Guardians of the Galaxy teaser. But fans are increasingly focused on their so-called "Phase 3," set to begin after The Avengers 2, and which may feature movies based on Dr. Strange, The Black Panther or even the newly-reacquired Daredevil. It's way too soon to expect casting, or even directors, but a confirmation of which films are in the works for Phase 3 would get the whole internet a-buzzing.
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2. REAL Star Wars News
The next Star Wars trilogy is one of the most anticipated motion picture franchises on the planet, but after the announcement of director J.J. Abrams, the return of the original cast and hints of potential spin-offs, real news has been hard to find. Disney's focus seems to be on Marvel Studios at Comic-Con this year, but certainly hope they take this opportunity to give fans around the world a new hope: casting announcements or heck, even a title would be enough to make headlines around the globe.
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1. Something Completely Unexpected
As much as we'd love updates, guest appearances or new footage from all our favorite franchises, what fans want most - what fans need most - is something "new" to get excited about. Zack Snyder's 300 came from out of nowhere to become one of the most talked about movies in the history of Comic-Con. With a little luck, some of that magic will strike again at Comic-Con 2013 and help usher in a new age of movies, an unexpectedly distinctive filmmaking voice, or just a really cool sci-fi/fantasy idea that we've never seen before.
We want something we didn't even know we wanted. Can Hollywood deliver? We'll find out this weekend at Comic-Con 2013.
