By: Scott Johnson on February 17, 2013
According to the official tweet from Comic Con International, San Diego Comic Con 2013 sold out in 95 minutes, but the waiting room to buy badges was completely full mere minutes after opening. While quite a few left disappointed, others were elated to make it into the waiting room and purchase their badges. Now that the badges are all sold, the speculation over what movie panels will take place in Hall H has already begun. Here are our top six predictions for Hall H movie panels.
Lucasfilm Panel – With Star Wars Episode 7 not scheduled to be released until summer 2015, a Lucasfilm Panel is probably a long shot. However, with J.J. Abrams already attached as director, he could very well decide to hold a discussion on Star Wars plans. And just think how wild the crowd would go if Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher showed up. It would be the perfect place for Disney/Lucasfilm to announce the return of the original cast if indeed all the rumors are true and they are returning.
Marvel Studios Panel – It’s a pretty sure bet that Marvel Studios will have a panel, as they will have a lot to promote. With Thor 2 set to be released in November 2013, it’s virtually definite that Comic Con attendees will get a preview of some extensive footage from that film. It’s also very likely that director Alan Taylor and some of the central cast such as Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston will appear. It would also not be surprising if there was an early look at Captain America 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, because both should have completed some filming by that time. As far as big announcements about new projects, we might expect to hear more about the Dr. Strange movie, which Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently confirmed.
Dimension Films Panel – With Sin City: A Dame To Kill For scheduled to be released in October, it’s very likely that directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez will host a panel. It’s also likely that several cast members will be in attendance as well such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jessica Alba, and Josh Brolin.
Warner Bros. Panel – With Man Of Steel opening before Comic Con and no new Batman movie announced, it will be really interesting to see what Warner Bros. chooses to promote. Since The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is scheduled to open in December 2013, it’s almost certain that it will be promoted at Comic Con. It’s also possible that fans might get a look at some more extensive footage from the Godzilla reboot. If there will be any announcements about upcoming DC Comics properties is a big mystery. If Man of Steel is a big hit, then Justice League will probably get announced if Warner Bros. really plans to target it for a 2015 release date. However, it’s unlikely that there will be a Justice League director and cast in place to appear.
Twentieth Century Fox Panel – The Wolverine opens the weekend after Comic Con. Twentieth Century Fox will be crazy if they don’t have director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman on hand to promote the movie. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised in Comic Con gets an early screening of The Wolverine. Also, director Bryan Singer has been very active promoting X-Men: Days Of Future Past on Twitter. We would expect Bryan Singer along with several cast members to appear and provide a first look at X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Sony/Columbia Pictures Panel – Since Amazing Spider-Man 2 has a May 2014 release date, Comic Con 2013 will be the only shot for Sony/Columbia pictures to promote the film at a Comic Con. Director Marc Webb has already been promoting the Amazing Spider-Man sequel via Twitter so he knows the importance of fan interaction. We would be really surprised if director Marc Webb along with several cast members like Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx didn’t appear.
