The time of year is finally here when thousands of nerds descend upon Southern California for San Diego Comic-Con. Last year’s Comic-Con was a return to form after several heavily impacted covid years but, with the Writers Guild striking and Screen Actors Guild threatening to, major Hollywood brands are being exceedingly cautious this year, and many are not going at all.
Which, to some, might sound like a good thing. “Make Comic-Con about the comics again!” some will say. Which is all well and good but after 20 years of Comic-Con fans expecting to experience more than comics, if major brands like Marvel or HBO don’t show up, it doesn’t make for a smooth transition. Fans today expect to have the biggest, most exciting news from all across entertainment happening with them in the room. Anyone who got tickets, travel, and hotels to the event months in advance were hoping for a full tilt Comic-Con and, it seems, 2023 won’t be that.
So what’s the deal? Who’s in? Who’s out? What are we missing and what are we getting? Here’s a rundown.
What studios are coming to San Diego Comic-Con 2023?
Paramount
The studio is expected to have a panel for its upcoming film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. No word, though, if the studio will discuss any future projects like Sonic 3, Gladiator 2, Transformers One, A Quiet Place: Day One, or IF. Probably not.
Prime Video
Though Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is almost certainly not quite ready to pull the curtain back on season two, The Boys spinoff Gen V is pictured on the SDCC badge, suggesting it’ll be there. There’s also a new season of Good Omens coming as well as Wheel of Time which could have a presence.
Lionsgate
This should have an asterisk. Lionsgate, the movie studio, is unlikely to atttend Comic-Con this year (sorry, Hunger Games fans). But its TV division is likely to attend, specifically with a look at the upcoming John Wick series The Continental.
Max
The streamer best known for changing its name and cancelling Batgirl is expected to have a presence at the convention, but mostly focusing on its animated fare.
Warner Bros… maybe
This is the big “if.” Rumour has it that Warner Bros. is still deciding whether or not it will be attending Comic-Con. On a normal year, few studios go bigger than Warner Bros. and this year the studio certainly has the slate for it: Blue Beetle, Aquaman 2, Dune: Part Two, Wonka, and more. Plus, wouldn’t this be a great place for DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran to put in some time with the fans to talk about the future of DC?
Don’t forget, it was Gunn (in his Marvel days) who showed footage from the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie just weeks into production. If he casts his Superman and Lois by then, imagine we got a SDCC tease of Superman Legacy? That’s pure wishful thinking — but hey, you never know.
What studios are not coming to San Diego Comic-Con 2023?
Marvel Studios
This, of course, is the big one. Marvel Studios usually brings huge things to Comic-Con but with the timing of its future schedule seemingly in flux, it seems the studio didn’t think it could come close to last year’s bonanza. And so, they aren’t coming. Which means no Loki season two, no Marvels, no Deadpool 3, no Captain America 4, no Fantastic Four casting, none of it.
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm just hosted its own Comic-Con of sorts, Star Wars Celebration, a few short months ago. There we got footage from seemingly every new project on its plate (Ahsoka, Andor season two, Skeleton Crew, Acolyte, etc.) plus news of new movies. With Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny already in theatres, there’s not much more it could add.
Disney
With its other brands not coming, of course, Disney at large won’t be attending. So nothing Haunted Mansion, nothing Inside Out 2, nothing Avatar 3, etc.
Netflix
In years past, Netflix has made a big splash at Comic-Con but, mere days ago, it hosted its own convention of sorts, TUDUM, and announced tons of things. Basically, there’s no need.
Sony
Sony isn’t known for massive Comic-Con panels but has held them in the past, and this year certainly had the potential for one. Gran Turismo seems to fit the bill. Kraven the Hunter. A new Ghostbusters. Several other films in the world of Spider-Man. But, alas, no dice.
Universal
Like Sony, Universal is more of a sometimes-player at Comic-Con — but, also like Sony, it has plenty coming up that would fit the bill. The animated film Strays, and the horror films Last Voyage of the Demeter, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and The Exorcist: Believer for example. But it’ll be sitting things out once again.
HBO
“Wait,” you’re thinking. Didn’t we just say Max is coming? Yes, but this isn’t Max. It’s HBO. Home of shows like House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. But sorry, no Joel or Ellie in Hall H this year. Maybe in the future.
Paramount+
On the flip side of the HBO and Max thing, while the Paramount movie studio is expected to have a presence, don’t expect to learn or see anything about what’s coming up in the world of its streaming service, such as Star Trek.
What studios are we unsure about?
AMC
If you were ranking brands that make their biggest splashes at Comic-Con each year, AMC would be near the top. In particular, the channel’s Walking Dead panels have always been fan favourites and while you’d expect those to continue, especially with new shows on the horizon, it’s unclear at the moment. Probably mostly due to talent availability with the pending actors strike. It’s possible, but unclear. (A rep for AMC told Gizmodo that more details would be available soon.)
Apple
Silo, Foundation, The Afterparty — Apple TV+ certainly has plenty of SDCC properties it could bring. However, reports are unclear whether or not the streamer is considering bringing anything at all.
As we hear more, we’ll update this post.
San Diego Comic-Con 2023 is July 20-23 and Gizmodo will be there. Check the site for more in the coming weeks.