The Amazing Spider-Man
What Is It? Only the Andrew Garfield-led reboot of the Spidey franchise. Images of Garfield in the new Spider-Man suit have been cropping up with increasing rapidity throughout the year, and expectation for the comic rethink should have reached fever pitch by the time the film’s cast and crew descend on Hall H.
Why We're Excited: We’ve yet to see a single frame of footage from Marc Webb’s 3D franchise overhaul, and it’s pretty much a safe bet that we’ll get a glimpse of Spidey in action at the Con. Which has us feeling all kinds of funny inside. One thing we’re sure of – Garfield’s bound to make for a fantastic Peter Parker.
The Walking Dead
What Is It? So Comic-Con used to be just about comics. Then it added movies to the mix. And increasingly, TV shows are becoming a massive draw as fans get to share air with the stars of their favourite programmes.
This year, Walking Dead ’s back to promote its second season, which is sounding every bit as brilliant as its first season…
Why We're Excited: A Q&A panel during Walking Dead ’s slot in Ballroom 20 is par for the course, but with executive producer/showrunner Frank Darabont talking about zombies up on stage, we’ll be giddy little movie geeks.
Steven Spielberg & Terra Nova
What Is It? Yes, Steven Spielberg’s coming to Comic-Con. He’ll be there talking about The Adventures Of Tintin (his first movie since 2008’s Indy 4 ) and is sure to bring a truckload load of new footage with him to show off his first ever mo-cap animated movie.
Not only that, but Spielberg’s new TV show Terra Nova will be taking its bow at the Con. It has dinosaurs in it, and it stars Avatar bad boy Stephen Lang, which is pretty much all you need to know, eh?
Why We're Excited: The Beard’s never made an appearance at Comic-Con before, which is cause for celebration in itself. So having him there answering our questions, frankly, is a fanboy’s wet dream come true.
Napoleon Dynamite
What Is It? Ever wondered what it would be like if your favourite cult curio was transformed into an animated series? Well, wonder no more – for Napoleon Dynamite is indeed making the jump to the small screen, with a brand new series surrounding the film’s characters. And it’s debuting at the Con.
Why We're Excited: Jon Heder, Tina Majorino, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, Sandy Martin, Diedrich Bader and executive producer Mike Scully are all going to be there! Here at TF towers, we love a good reunion…
JJ Abrams & Alcatraz
What Is It? Abrams loves Comic-Con, and Comic-Con loves Abrams. Last year he doubled up with Joss Whedon for a chat about the state of modern day pop culture, confirming our suspicions that he’s a well-informed, thoroughly nice chap.
This year, Abrams is bringing Alcatraz with him. No, not the island, but his new TV show, a “chilling drama” that revolves around the infamous prison. This should be good.
Why We're Excited: Abrams last few stabs at the idiot box have reaped the decidedly non-idiotic likes of Lost and Fringe . Can Alcatraz match those shows in creativity and cool? We’ll find out at the Con.
Knights Of Badassdom
What Is It? Another contender for Princess Bride ’s comedy-fantasy crown. Starring Ryan Kwanten, Steve Zahn, Peter Dinklage, Margarita Levieva, it factors fantasy RPG (role-playing games) into a real-world storyline that follows Kwanten’s miserable recent dumpee.
Why We're Excited: Your Highness was okay, but it failed to consistently keep the fantasy-infused comedy coming thick and fast. Badassdom could potentially sate the ‘comedy fantasy’ craving that Highness failed to satisfy. We’ll get a good idea of its promise at the film's Hall H panel.
20th Century Fox
What Is It? They may get a rinsing every week on The Simpsons , but there’s no doubt that 20th Century Fox have been kind to Comic-Con audiences.
Having previously previewed footage from their biggest tentpole flicks ( Avatar , X2 etc), they’re returning this year with more sneak previews of upcoming stuff.
Why We're Excited: Fox’s 2011 and 2012 slate is packed. Like really packed. Prometheus , In Time , contemplative sci-fi Another Earth , We Bought A Zoo , The Darkest Hour , The Descendants , Martha Marcy May Marlene , and This Means War are just a few of the projects in the offing. Breath. Bated.
Robert Rodriguez
What Is It? Robert Rodriguez knows Comic-Con is exactly the kind of place he needs to be to get down with the fans. And 2011 has him coming along to present exciting new stuff from his Quick Draw Productions stable.
Why We're Excited: Apparently there are ‘special guest collaborators’ involved, as well as some exclusive material from Rodriguez’s top-secret new project. We’d be mad to miss it.
ThunderCats
What Is It? ThunderCats are on the move, ThunderCars are loose… In case you hadn’t heard, ThunderCats are making a comeback in 2011. Sadly not in movie form (yet), but in the shape of a brand new animated TV series – and the first, hour-long episode is premiering at the Con.
After that, the show’s producers will be taking part in a Q&A, and hopefully explain how they went about modernising the 'Cats for a new generation.
Why We're Excited: It gives us a chance to wear our ThunderCats T-shirt and get lost in a sea of other ThunderCats T-shirt-wearers. Altogether now – ho!
Kevin Smith
What Is It? Imagining Comic-Con without Kevin Smith is like imagining Friday nights without a cool Corona and a slice of lime. Yes, miserable.
Luckily, Kev’s back this year for An Early Evening With Kevin Smith, which is hosted in the 6,000+ capacity Hall H. Expect a raucous evening.
Why We're Excited: Uh, it’s Kevin Smith, and he’s always good value for money.
He’s also caused a bit of a stir over here, having cancelled press screenings of new film Red State after reviewers were unkind to the flick – wonder if he’ll broach that subject at the Con…
Total Recall
What Is It? The Schwarzenegger-lite remake of Paul Verhoeven’s cult-y classic sci-fi. This time, Colin Farrell’s playing hero Quaid, and he’s travelled all the way to Comic-Con to convince us he was the perfect man for the job.
A trailer for the film’s yet to be released, so we imagine it’ll get a debut airing at the Con, and if we’re very lucky, a few minutes of footage might even get shown too…
Why We're Excited: Will the film suck? Can it match the cheesy thrills of Arnie’s original ‘90s blockbuster? Is Colin Farrell a believable hero? Will there be a chick with three tits? All questions we can’t wait to see answered in Hall H. Especially that last one.
Guillermo del Toro & Jon Favreau
What Is It? Alright, so a Comic-Con without Kevin Smith would suck. But a Comic-Con without Guillermo del Toro would have us so distraught we’d probably start eating gravel.
Del Toro is famous as a no-bullshit, brilliantly verbal guest at the Con – not only can he entertain for hours just by talking, he generally always brings along a treat as well…
Why We're Excited: This year, the treat appears to be Jon Favreau. The duo have teamed up for the Entertainment Weekly: The Visionaries panel, and will be chatting about everything from the merit of blockbuster entertainment to what they’ve got in the pipeline. Nerdgasm!
Dr Horribles Sing-Along Blog
What Is It? A jam-packed Thursday at the San Diego Convention Centre will close on a high courtesy of this sing-a-long slice of Whedon genius.
Starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion, Dr Horrible follows the titular aspiring supervillain, whose evil plans are constantly thwarted by Captain Hammer. The 42 minute musical will air in its entirety at the Con.
Why We're Excited: We’ve never seen this on a big screen – mostly because it was created as a downloadable web-series.
Getting a chance to watch Dr Horrible work his magic on a towering projection screen is the perfect way to close out a Thursday at the Con.
Joss Whedon
What Is It? Marvel aren’t going to have much of a presence at Comic-Con this year. Though Sony are bringing The Amazing Spider-Man to San Diego, Marvel aren’t shipping the cast of The Avengers over.
Or are they? Director Joss Whedon is hosting a chat about the comic book adventures of Buffy and Angel at the San Diego Hilton, which suggests to us that he could drop by with a surprise Avengers treat, considering he’s in the area…
Why We're Excited: That may sound like a stretch, but only last year Whedon assembled the entire main cast of The Avengers (that far) on-stage in an impromptu show. We wouldn’t be surprised if a similar thing happened again this year. (And if it doesn’t, there will be tantrums.)
Snow White And The Huntsman
What Is It? Just one of the many Snow White movies currently in production, but the only one bothering to come to Comic-Con.
Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, this update of the classic fairytale could be the start of a whole new fantasy franchise.
Why We're Excited: There’ll be exclusive footage on show, apparently, while all of the key players will be there to discuss their part in the production.
Yes, that includes Hemsworth – still think an Avengers sneak preview is out of the question?
