by Curtis Betz
As of the 27th of June, the 3 day convention known as San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) came to a close. This annual event draws crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands and is the fandom party of the year. During the 3 days that Comic Con runs, there are a large number of panels consisting of movie stars such as the cast of Marvel’s Avengers, and directors, producers and writers of everyone’s favorite comic-related television shows and movies. During these panels, fans are given the opportunity to ask questions to the panel and are treated to exclusive sneak peeks of future projects and are the first to hear what is coming down the pipeline. Since 99% of the world doesn’t have the opportunity to attend this glorious event, I will give you a highlight reel of the biggest news to break at SDCC.
The most exciting panels in my opinion are the Marvel panels. This year, the fans that filled the massive Hall H of Comic Con were treated to an exclusive preview of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Attendees were tantalized with images of Captain America’s broken shield, Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor, and a first look at Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in action. In addition to a taste of the much anticipated Avengers sequel, Marvel also introduced the cast of the newest addition to the Marvel cinematic universe, Ant-Man. Paul Rudd will star alongside Michael Douglas as Scott Lang and Hank Pym, respectively. Evangeline Lilly was introduced to play Hope Van Dyne, Pym’s daughter, and Corey Stoll will play the villain Yellowjacket. On top of all this, Marvel announced a sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy which has not yet been released in theatres. Unfortunately, Marvel was unable to release the name of the star of the new Doctor Strange movie.
On the opposite side of the comic book world, DC also had some big news to drop on fans. During the DC panel, those in attendance were treated to a teaser of the new Batman vs Superman film. In addition to being able to get the first look at Ben Affleck as Batman (jury is still out on whether or not this was a good casting choice), fans were given the special treat of seeing Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in the new movie. See the images below.
Stepping away from the world of comic books and right into other worlds, we can expect a flurry of sequels for the next solid year or so. Of course Benedict Cumberbatch, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, and Peter Jackson were at Comic Con to hold a panel for the final movie in the Hobbit trilogy, The Battle of Five Armies. Jackson showed the first trailer of the movie as well as a gag reel from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Also, we can expect a new King Kong movie as well as a potential Godzilla sequel. This is in addition to the Marvel and DC projects being released. Fortunately, there is real potential for the new movies set to be released in the near future. One film that I am especially excited for is The Giver, a film based on the novel by Lois Lowry. If you haven’t read the book, I would recommend it strongly. Also, there was also footage shown of Guillermo Del Toro’s new film Crimson Peak which isn’t set to release until next year and Christopher Nolan of the Dark Knight trilogy is returning to Comic Con with a preview of Interstellar starring Matthew McConaughey.
Of course, in a 3 day paradise for a nerd like me, the hits never stop coming in a place like SDCC. The news and previews and interviews with the biggest stars in the world bring more than just one article can sufficiently cover. These are just some of the things that make me the most excited. Which films are you most excited to see? Share your thoughts in the comments below.