Here's a preview of some of the guest appearances and events planned for this year's Comic-Con in San Diego (July 20-23).
- Iron Man – Director Jon Favreau says "I'm going to participate in the Marvel panel at Comicon on Saturday. We'll come up with something fun but, keep in mind, we're two years out so don't expect too much," he wrote on his Blog.
"We've just approved an 'Ironworks' tee shirt for the Paramount booth. I guess they're going to have tee shirts with different Paramount movies on them. The Iron Man one is very understated and cool. The numbers will be limited each day, so keep that in mind if you're a swag hag.
"All in all, I want to get my feet wet. Next year will be the big one for Iron Man."
- Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man – the new director for the Hulk and Ant-Man films will be announced on Saturday at Comic-Con according to the event's Web site.:
"3:30-4:30 A Marvel Studios Production: The Future of Marvel's Film Franchises— The next great era of comic book films begins as Marvel Studios launches its new slate. The studio is currently developing many of its landmark titles for adaptation to the screen, including Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Nick Fury, and Ant-Man. At this presentation, the directors of Iron Man (Jon Favreau), The Incredible Hulk, and Ant-Man (Edgar Wright) will share their visions for these highly anticipated films. Producers Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, and Ari Arad will join the panel and be on hand to answer questions from the audience. Moderated by Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter. Room 6CDEF"
- Heroes – The NBC superhero drama series will be previewed Friday:
"12:30-2:00 NBC: Heroes Pilot Screening and Q&A with Cast and Producers— Debuting on NBC this fall, the highly anticipated series Heroes chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. Be the first to watch an exclusive 72-minute cut of the pilot episode, created specifically for Comic-Con. Join cast members Ali Larter (Final Destination), Greg Grunberg (Alias), Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls), Hayden Panettiere (Ice Princess), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Blind Guy Driving), and Masi Oka (Scrubs); creator/executive producer Tim Kring; executive producer Dennis Hammer; co-executive producer/comic book writer Jeph Loeb (Lost, Superman for All Seasons); and legendary comic book artist Tim Sale (Batman: The Long Halloween) for a Q&A session. Room 6CDEF"
Check out all of Friday's schedule here.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – "2:00-3:30 Warner Bros. Presents a Trio of Animated Features— First up is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Director Kevin Munroe appears in person to preview this shell-raising return to the big screen of Laird and Eastman's classic quartet in a fully animated CGI feature film."
- 300 – "10:30-11:30 Warner Bros. Presents 300— Appearing in person: Creator Frank Miller, director Zach Snyder (Dawn of the Dead), and actors David Wenham (Faramir in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King) and Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera; Lara Croft: Cradle of Life). Based on the epic graphic novel by Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, the Spartans' valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy. The film brings Miller's (Sin City) acclaimed Dark Horse graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale. Hall H"
- Superman Returns – Director Bryan Singer will be there Friday, July 21:
"11:00-12:30 Warner Bros. Pictures Presents— In person, stars Hilary Swank and Anna Sophia Robb, director Stephen Hopkins, and producer Joel Silver of The Reaping, a supernatural thriller in which Hilary plays a world-renowned expert in disproving religious phenomena. But when she investigates a small Louisiana town that is suffering from what appear to be the Biblical plagues, she realizes that science cannot explain what is happening. Plus: Bryan Singer Returns! Please welcome long-time friend of Comic-Con director Bryan Singer to answer your questions about Superman Returns and give you an idea of what's next. Hall H"
- Ghost Rider, Spider-Man 3 – Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes will appear with director Mark Steven Johnson and Sam Raimi will show up to talk about Spidey 3:
"5:00-6:30 Sony Presents— Sony Pictures proudly presents a pair of Marvels: The classic Marvel comic Ghost Rider comes to the big screen with Academy Award–winning Nicolas Cage playing Johnny Blaze. Appearing in person to answer your questions and show some previews will be the film's stars Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes and director Mark Steven Johnson. Oh, and did we mention Spidey 3? Come find out why we don't have to say anything else... besides Sam Raimi! Hall H"
In related news, the official
Spider-Man 3 Web site now offers a countdown clock with a RSS news feed.
Also, there's new shots of Stan Lee's cameo in the movie posted
here.
Plus, new lobby banners for Spidey 3 and Ghost Rider were recently on display at Cinema Expo, a movie theater industry meeting recently held in Amsterdam (see below or follow this
link for all of the banners).
And
Yahoo! Movies posed new photos from Ghost Rider, opening Feb. 16 and starring Nic Cage, Wes Bentley, Eva Mendes, Matthew Long and Peter Fonda.