What we didn't get at SDCC this year

San Diego Comic-Con was full of surprises and footage, as always, but there is still a decent amount of things that fans expected to happen that simply didn't. Here are some of the things I can think of that were absent from SDCC that either should have been there or I assumed would be there and just weren't.

1. We got nothing for Justice League

I understand Justice League is still a few years away, but I honestly expected some kind of teaser for it. A photo, a logo... something. Don't get me wrong, I managed to see a leak of the BvS footage and it looked great but I expected something for Justice League.

2. No information on future DC films

We all saw that "leak" of Warner Bros' schedule for DC films that was leaked as a Comic-Con reveal. The basic fact of it is that it didn't happen. We didn't get any confirmation of release dates, future character movies, or crossovers. It was another thing that was expected but we didn't get it.

3. No footage for Jurassic World

Most of us expected at least a teaser for Jurassic World and it did not happen. The most we got for the fourth installment was the vehicle and the posters. Universal chose to tease test footage for Skull Island and announce Godzilla 2 instead.

4. No information on Marvel's massive schedule

Sure, we got a release date for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but we didn't get anything else. I was expecting Marvel to reveal some more release dates and do something similar to what we got last year. Marvel didn't close out Hall H with the big bang they usually do.

5. Nothing on Doctor Strange

Along with Marvel's kind of disappointing weekend, we didn't get anything regarding Doctor Strange. The role hasn't been cast yet but we have a release date and a director. I assumed we would at least get a logo.

6. Nothing for Fantastic Four

Yet another thing most people expected to be present at SDCC was completely missing. We got nothing for the reboot of Fantastic Four. I don't see any reasoning seeing that they already have a cast and everything.



Aside from not having panels for things like Mockingjay - Part 1 there were a lot of surprises this year and not all of them were good. I'm a bit disappointed with SDCC this year because it doesn't feel like we got a lot of major announcements. It was mostly panels for stuff we already knew about. There was a serious lack of excitement for the future of franchises.

SDCC: First teaser for Mockingjay - Part 1

I guess I expected more.

SDCC: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 fills 2017 release date

Well, we have an answer to which film will fill the July 28, 2017 release date Marvel has booked. That film will be a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy which hits theaters next weekend.

During the Marvel presentations in Hall H today, President Kevin Feige announced the sequel along with revealing specific characters for Ant-Man and showing new footage for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Booking a sequel for Guardians of the Galaxy shows Marvel's confidence in the film seeing that this comes before it has even hit theaters. However, judging from early reviews and test screenings so far I don't think the studio has much to worry about. People are loving it and I can't wait to see it next week.

One major disappointment in all the excitement is the fact that the GOTG sequel was the only future release confirmed. Marvel has untitled projects booked through 2019 and this is all we got. At last year's SDCC we received release dates and logos for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Just getting an announcement for a sequel to a movie we haven't seen yet is a bit disappointing to say the least.
I'm sure more announcements will follow but for now... Marvel didn't finish Saturday off with the bang they're usually known for. It's a bit sad.

SDCC: Ant-Man panel confirms roles and tests more footage

Marvel, as always, closed out the Saturday events in Hall H with panels for Ant-Man and The Avengers: Age of Ultron. For the Ant-Man panel we received confirmation on who has been cast in which role as well as some new footage.

Present for the panel were director Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, and Evangeline Lilly. Reed was apparently met with very low enthusiasm which I can honestly say I expected. After the fiasco with Edgar Wright it's an understatement to say fans are pretty pissed. Evangeline Lilly also mentioned that her main job up until today was to avoid the press. Apparently Marvel didn't want any information about her role or her involvement prior to SDCC.

While on the subject of roles, we did learn which roles Lilly and Corey Stoll have been cast. Lilly will be playing Hank Pym's daughter, Hope Van Dyne (aka, Wasp), while Stoll will be playing Darren Cross (aka, Yellowjacket).
The basic plot revealed during the panel includes information surrounding a heist after Hank Pym (Douglas) appoints Scott Lang (Rudd) to takeover the Ant-Man suit. Cross begins taking Pym's company in an unfavorable direction and eventually gets his hand on some Ant-Man particles and does wear the Yellowjacket suit for this film.

Ant-Man will begin full production in two weeks in Atlanta and is still set for release on July 17, 2015.

SDCC: Wonder Woman revealed during BvS panel

We received our first glimpse at Gal Gadot as the DC hero Wonder Woman today during the Warner Bros. panel today. It is a similar photo to what we saw of Superman a couple weeks ago and many are already talking about the different costume.

In addition to this peek at Wonder Woman, guests were shown a small bit of footage. Here is a description via Matt Goldberg:

"It’s pouring down rain in the night sky. Batman is an armored suit, his eyes glowing, and standing next to the Bat-Signal. He pulls down a switch and powers it up. The Bat-Signal (bearing the new Bat-Symbol) blasts into the sky. We pan to follow the light, but in the sky, floating in front of the signal, is Superman. His arms are crossed. His cape billows in the wind. Batman, with his mask’s glowing eyes, stares down the Man of Steel. And the Man of Steel stares back. His eyes begin to glow red. Cut back to the Dark Knight. He is unmoved. Cut to black."

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently scheduled for May 6, 2016. 

SDCC: Godzilla 2 announced; King Kong being revived via Skull Island

We received news for two famous "monsters" today at SDCC. In addition to an official announcement for Godzilla 2, we got word that Legendary Pictures is looking to revive the King Kong franchise and offered some test footage of Skull Island.

Director Gareth Evans will be returning for Godzilla 2 and confirmed that in the sequel we will see Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Rodan. Legendary CEO Thomas Tull showed teaser footage including each of the rivals as classified figures. Evans will begin on Godzilla 2 after he completes his Star Wars spin-off film.

As far as King Kong goes, apparently a new version of Skull Island is being planned for a 2016 release. Legendary is now in equal share of the rights for these films after being absorbed by Universal. However, SDCC guests were somewhat disappointed as they assumed the footage shown was going to be a teaser for Jurassic World. The last adaptation of King Kong was Peter Jackson's take on the character back in 2005.

SDCC: Second trailer for Horns premieres

I liked the first trailer, but I have to say I like this one a lot more.This is also the first time I wasn't immediately reminded of Harry Potter when I saw Daniel Radcliffe. Well done, sir.

You can head over to MTV to check out the trailer because the html code is giving me issues at the moment. http://www.mtv.com/videos/movie-trailers/1065309/horns.jhtml


Horns stars Daniel Radcliffe as a young man who becomes the main suspect in the murder and rape of his girlfriend. It's an adaptation of the novel by Joe Hill and is set for theaters and VOD this Halloween.

SDCC: Evil Dead television show in the works

During the panel for Last of Us at SDCC today, we learned from Sam Raimi that he is currently developing a television show based off his 1981 cult horror classic, The Evil Dead.

There was an overall lack of details but he did say that he is writing the series with his brother, Ivan Raimi, and that Bruce Campbell will also be involved. One plus side about this is that a lot of cable networks are not afraid of horror. We see gory, bloody television shows all the time like True Blood, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Bates Motel, Hannibal, American Horror Story, Dexter, etc.. The list goes on at this point. Making a show about this story won't be as hard for people to grasp as it would have been just 10-15 years ago.
However, just because it's being written doesn't mean it's actually going to be made. Seeing the development hell that both Army of Darkness 2 and Fede Alvarez's Evil Dead sequel are going through it doesn't seem that things are so easy.

What do you guys think? Do you want an Evil Dead show?

SDCC: Jurassic World vehicle debuts

In addition to SDCC exclusive posters being handed out this weekend, we are seeing our first look at a vehicle from Jurassic World.

The silver Mercedes is being used as promotion and contains the SDCC exclusive posters. The license plate has the Jurassic World logo on it as well as the tag "G-012 Isla Nublar." The pics are seen via Twitter on the official @JurassicPark page.

Some other users have added pictures from other angles to showcase the entire vehicle.

SDCC: Christopher Nolan makes Comic-Con debut

Christopher Nolan crashed the party today at San Diego Comic-Con by making his first ever appearance at the event. To go along with his surprise appearance he debuted a new trailer for his upcoming sci-fi film, Interstellar.

Paramount chose not to specify what films they were going to showcase during their panel today, so it's needless to say that the room was pretty empty. Paramount presented a redband trailer for Hot Tub Time Machine 2, The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and Project Almanac. They saved Nolan's appearance, as well as Matthew McConaughey's SDCC debut, until last and surprised those who did attend with the new Interstellar trailer.
We will probably have to wait a week or so to see the trailer publicly, but judging from what people who were lucky enough to see it are saying it was pretty awesome.

Interstellar hits theaters on November 7th.

SDCC: New image of Ben Affleck as Batman emerges

I hate admitting this. Like, I really hate it... but Ben Affleck looks pretty awesome as Batman.

There. I said it.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has a panel in Hall H on Saturday, so it is expected that we will get something. It's a bit early for a trailer but Warner Bros. might show some footage so far. BvS is currently set  to go head to head against Captain America 3 on May 6, 2016.

Marvel announces another 2018 release

In the past week we have received planned release dates for Marvel films through 2019. Marvel has announced one more untitled project for May 3, 2018. The weekend opportunity opened up after Sony removed The Amazing Spider-Man 4 from the date. The speculation is already swirling around which project this could be and one name is on the top of the list...

Did Marvel just announce the release date for The Avengers 3?


The previous dates announced for 2018 were July 6th and November 2nd. I personally already made the prediction that the May 5, 2017 spot could be The Avengers 3, but it is possible they might delay a third film until 2018. The only issue I see with that is that will make Phase Three incredibly long and will have way too many characters to try and wrap into a single Avengers film to finish.


Here are the Marvel release dates as they currently stand:

Guardians of the Galaxy (8/1/2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (5/1/2015)
Ant-Man (7/17/2015)
Captain America 3 (5/6/2016)
Doctor Strange (7/8/2016)
Untitled (5/5/2017)
Untitled (7/28/2017)
Untitled (11/3/2017)
Untitled (5/3/2018)
Untitled (7/6/2018)
Untitled (11/2/2018)
Untitled (5/3/2019)


It's hard to say exactly when The Avengers 3 will hit, but if they stick with the May tradition we only have three possible dates for 2017, 2018, and 2019. It is worth mentioning that there is a three year gap between The Avengers and Age of Ultron so a 2018 release would keep them on that track, but there aren't nearly the amount of releases in Phase Two as there are currently planned for Phase Three and/or Phase Four.
Since The Avengers we have seen Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and are about to get Guardians of the Galaxy. That is four releases. If a third Avengers film doesn't come out until 2018 we will have another gap of three years, but we will also have a total of six releases instead of four. Unless one or two of those dates include spin-off films for The Hulk (finally) and Black Widow, I think six films is a bit much. Not to mention we are receiving two brand new characters with Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and also a rumored film for Black Panther. We also shouldn't forget one of those 2017 dates could be a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy or a third Thor project or a fourth Iron Man. There really is no way to tell what their timetable is. 

It is also worth mentioning that even though Sony removed The Amazing Spider-Man 4 from the release date, they announced today that they have immediately refilled the date by delaying The Amazing Spider-Man 3 until then. Unless Sony and Marvel want to go head to head like Marvel is currently doing with Warner Bros. over Batman v Superman being released the same day as Captain America 3, I doubt The Avengers 3 will be released the same weekend as Spider-Man. Unless Marvel is that confident their film will win I foresee a date change for one of them if Marvel announces that May 3, 2018 does indeed belong to The Avengers.
Either way I am sure we will have more answers to what projects belong to these untitled dates by this weekend. No doubt Marvel will come into SDCC at full speed with announcements and footage of some kind. If they don't then things will continue to be mysterious for a while longer.

[EDIT] It seems that Sony was thinking the same thing as they have already removed The Amazing Spider-Man 3 from the May 4, 2018 release date and are now saying it will be released in 2018. There is no specific day set.

Comic-Con poster for Mockingjay - Part 1

We are getting a sneak peek of the exclusive Comic-Con poster for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. The film won't have any real presence at the con this year as Lionsgate decided to forfeit a panel, but we are still getting some pieces of info from the film.

Personally, this poster looks like a freshman Photoshop project but it is what it is.

Just a heads up

With all the big Comic-Con news set to hit this weekend I figured I would just put a warning out there that this blog will be a little delayed with news. I am scheduled to work this weekend into the evenings so I will try and keep up as much as I can, but I will most likely miss some stuff.

What I will probably do is do wrap-up posts for stuff that I missed and save individual posts for the major events. I also want to mention that I have somewhat joined the anti-spoiler movement and will be staying away from some things based on principle. If something seems to revealing or is excessive I will be skipping it and you can read about those things elsewhere.
That also explains my lack of posts recently regarding multiple trailers and clips for Guardians of the Galaxy and other films, like the map and plot leak for Jurassic World, because I simply feel like it spoils the movies a bit too much. Truth be told, I haven't watched or read anything about Guardians of the Galaxy since the second trailer was released. I don't like going into a theater feeling like I have already seen the best parts. I mean, we all saw what Sony did with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with the five trailers plus photos plus clips that revealed just about every key point in the film. I think studio marketing has reached a point of being too revealing and I'm sure Comic-Con won't be any different. Simple as that.

So yeah, just a heads up on what to expect this weekend regarding SDCC as far as this blog goes. I'm bummed I can't sit glued to the news like I have in previous years, but what can you do.

First poster for Jurassic World

You'll have the first chance to pick up both variants of the poster for Jurassic World at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, but here is a peek at the new poster design by Mark Englert.

Both variants will be available at SDCC. If you text "JURASSIC" to 834567 you will get details on the poster drop. You can also follow @JurassicPark on Twitter or @JurassicWorld on Instagram.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 trailer to premiere at SDCC

We finally have confirmation that the first full trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 will premiere at San Diego Comic-Con next weekend. The trailer will air on the Galaxy Tab S as part of the Samsung Galaxy Experience on Friday, July 25th at 12pm. The trailer will be introduced by the cast despite there being no Hunger Games panel this year. The main reason the trailer is premiering this way and not in Hall H is because there is no panel.

Now... actually seeing this trailer right away is going to be a bit tricky if you're not at Comic-Con or don't own a Samsung device. If you are not at SDCC, you can see a short preview of the trailer at participating Best Buy locations. They will also be handing out a limited supply of complimentary tickets for Mockingjay - Part 1 if you watch the preview.
Another way to participate is to download the Hunger Games Movie Pack app. The app will be a free download on capable Samsung devices beginning July 28th and will give Galaxy owners access to exclusive Hunger Games content.

In other words, if you're not at SDCC or don't own a Samsung device you're pretty much screwed on seeing the trailer right away. There isn't any information on when the trailer will be available for everyone to watch, but I am pretty sure something will leak online before the weekend is up. Stuff from SDCC always finds its way out before it should. I also agree with the guys over at Collider in saying that this marketing campaign seems to be more of a Samsung advertisement than one for The Hunger Games. It's a bit of an odd choice.

SDCC implementing a wristband system for Hall H

San Diego Comic-Con is coming up, hence the lack of movie news lately, and it seems they have finally realized just how many people attend each year. Apparently organizers will be using a new wristband system for Hall H events this year which is hoping to give guests a more realistic idea of how likely they are to get in.

Hall H is notorious for the high scale of guests and information that is in that room. It is where the first footage for films like Man of Steel and The Avengers along with announcements for projects like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Superstar panels for superhero films, comedies, and just about everything under the sun happens in Hall H, too.
Guests have been steadily getting more irritated with the amount of people trying to enter Hall H all at once and how organizers just flood people through the doors. Last year people were camped out in line to enter on Friday afternoon and evening. SDCC organizers are saying this new system, deemed the Toucan Tracker, will give guests wristbands when they arrive in line. When Hall H is at capacity for that panel or time there will be no more wristbands distributed and whoever arrives after then won't be able to attend that panel or event. They will also be color coded based upon which number you are in line. For example, the color for the first 50 people is green. After that the color morphs to yellow. Let's say the last bundle of bands is red. By that color code you know that if you have a red wristband you are near the back of the line and will most likely be sitting in the back of the room if you can get in at all. There will be a total of four colors, but they have not revealed which colors will represent which place in line.
There is also a clause stating that if you obtain a wristband but leave the line, you are then forfeiting your spot. The only way to get around this is if you have a group and take turns leaving. As long as you have someone with the same color wristband holding your spot you can re-enter the line. 

Now... this still doesn't guarantee you getting in even if you have a wristband. I will repeat that, they are not guaranteed entrance bands. Why? Well, there are those people who will stay in Hall H if they're lucky enough to get in. If you have three people who obtain the first round of wristbands for the first event in the morning and they decide to stay all day, that takes three seats away from the group of people in line for the next event and the one after that, etc. Also, there is still hope if you don't have a wristband. As soon as the last color runs out they will begin admitting non-banded guests into Hall H if space is available.


San Diego Comic-Con International kicks off next week and goes from July 24th through the 26th at the San Diego Convention Center. Schedules have been posted on their official website (here) along with a PDF of the program.

Did Warner Bros' Comic-Con plans just leak?

According to a source, Warner Bros. plans for Comic-Con have leaked a bit early. All I have to say is if this is true they are showing their desperation and showing it hard.

Apparently, the plan was to announce the release dates for upcoming DC Comics films at SDCC and to announce certain team-ups and pretty much confirm that Justice League is filming back to back with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Also, a hint that BvS might not be a Man of Steel sequel after all. Here is the "leaked" schedule:

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will kick things off in May 2016
• Shazam will be released in July 2016
• Sandman will round out 2016 with a Christmas release
• Justice League kicks off 2017 in May
• Wonder Woman gets her own film in July 2017
• Green Lantern and The Flash team up for a film at Christmas 2017
• Man of Steel 2 hits theaters in May 2018

Along with this, the leak includes that  the reason BvS was delayed was so Warner Bros. could finalize contracts with actors so there can be numerous Justice League cameos in the film as a lead into the remaining 2017 films.
This all is very crammed and close together, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is already attached to star in a Neil Gaiman adaptation of Sandman, so seeing a 2016 release date for that isn't too surprising. However, we have heard absolutely nothing about Shazam so that very well could be WB's big announcement at SDCC. In order for all of this to be announced with any substance, WB is no doubt rushing to finalize even more contracts to go with the announcement.
Previous rumors included a 2016 release for a Suicide Squad film, but that was apparently scrapped by the studio.

One major thing missing from this list, if it is indeed real, is a standalone Batman film. Ben Affleck has signed a multi-film contract, but there was no info on whether it was mainly as a supporting role or if he would star in a separate Batman film.
It was also included that Ryan Reynolds will not be reprising his role as Green Lantern, so they will be starting from scratch there. We already have Wonder Woman cast, so I guess we can expect to see what Gal Gadot can do on her own. We don't have any further casting regarding the Justice League or The Flash so that should be coming soon even if the solo movies are bullshit.

This is one hell of a schedule. We will see if there is any substance to all this in about a month.