It’s almost time for San Diego Comic-Con International to open its floodgates! Whether you plan to attend the show or enjoy the news from the comfort of your own (better-smelling) home, this year’s presentation is shaping up to be a big deal for fans looking forward to surprise celebrity sightings, exciting announcements, and updates about anticipated projects. Of course, one of the biggest attractions of the event is the annual Hall H lineup, which Comic-Con is finally ready to share more details about.
Marvel Studios and Apple TV to invade Hall H
According to reports, Marvel Studios will have its Hall H panel on July 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. PT. While the studio is keeping its slate close to the chest, potential featured topics include hype for Spider-Man: Brand New Day (opening in theaters on July 31), announcements about its future slate, and casting for Avengers: Secret Wars. Further details about Avengers: Doomsday will likely be the main event, with a chance of updates for projects like Vision Quest, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: Season 2, X-Men, and Shang-Chi 2, though updates for the latter two are unlikely.
Additionally, Apple TV is making its first-ever Hall H appearance with a 2-hour panel on Saturday, July 25, at 2 p.m. The schedule includes the Emmy-nominated horror comedy Widow’s Bay, John Cena’s Matchbox movie for Mattel, Ryan Reynolds’ Mayday, and the series Dark Matter and Silo. There’s no telling if Reynolds will take the stage, though it would not be the first time he surprised Comic-Con fans. Josh Horowitz of the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast will moderate all of the panels
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Onslaught at Comic-Con
Another attraction at this year’s celebration is a panel for Adam Wingard’s Onslaught. Kevin Smith will moderate a panel with Wingard and stars Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, and Drew Starkey. The panel will take place on Thursday, July 23, at 5:30 p.m. in Ballroom 20 at the San Diego Convention Center. “When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers breaks loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter,” the film’s official synopsis reads.
For those keeping count, Onslaught is Wingard’s return to the horror genre after helming movies like Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. In addition to directing the film, Wingard co-wrote Onslaught with his long-time writing partner Simon Barrett. Onslaught is more of an indie affair compared to his recent big-budget monster films, with many fans saying the upcoming feature feels like a spiritual successor to Wingard’s 2014 thriller The Guest. Dan Stevens, who starred in The Guest, joins Wingard for Onslaught, marking a welcome reunion for the duo.
You can find more details about Apple’s first-ever Comic-Con panel below:
Friday, July 24 – Sunday, July 26
The Silo Experience
The Lot @ 1st & J, 450 2nd Ave, San Diego
Free and open to all SDCC attendees and the public
* hours subject to change
Friday, July 24
10-11 PM
Special Sneak Preview of Dark Matter Season 2 – Room 6DE
Guests include star and executive producer Joel Edgerton; cast member Dayo Okeniyi; author of the novel, creator, and executive producer Blake Crouch; writer and EP Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry; and EP Matt Tolmach.
Saturday, July 25
2-4 PM
Apple TV Hall H Panel
Matchbox The Movie
Panelists: John Cena, Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris
Inspired by the Mattel toys, the Skydance co-production follows a group of friends since childhood who have their lives upended when undercover CIA agent Sean (John Cena), their long-absent former leader, returns to their small town and unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world. Alongside Cena, the film stars Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, Arturo Castro, Corey Stoll, Bill Camp, Danai Gurira, and Golshifteh Farahani. Sam Hargrave directed and EP’ed off a script by David Coggeshall. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger produce for Skydance, alongside Robbie Brenner and Ynon Kreiz through Mattel Films, as well as Jules Daly. Patrick Newall and Elizabeth Bassin serve as EPs. Matchbox: The Movie drives onto Apple TV on October 9.
Widow’s Bay
Panelists to be announced
In “Widow’s Bay,” something lurks beneath the surface. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is desperate to revive his struggling community. There’s no Wi-Fi, spotty cellular reception, and he must contend with superstitious locals who believe their island is cursed. He wants these people to respect him. They don’t. They think he is soft and cowardly. And he is. But Loftis is determined to build a better future for his teenage son and turn the island into a tourist destination. Miraculously, he succeeds: tourists are finally coming. Unfortunately, the locals were right. After decades of calm, the old stories that seemed too ludicrous to be true are starting to happen again. The series stars Kate O’Flynn, Stephen Root, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Kevin Carroll, and Dale Dickey. The supporting cast includes K Callan and Emmy Award-winner Jeff Hiller. Katie Dippold created and showruns. Hiro Murai executive-produces through his banner, Chum Films, alongside Carver Karaszewski, Claudia Shin, and Rhys. Murai directed five episodes in the first season, with the remaining episodes directed by Ti West, Sam Donovan, and Andrew DeYoung. Season one is currently streaming on Apple TV.
Dark Matter
Panelists include Blake Crouch, Matt Tolmach, Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, and Dayo Okeniyi. Dark Matter is a story about the road not taken. In season one, the series followed Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), a physicist, professor, and family man who — one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago — is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could have lived. Season two picks up with the Dessens as they settle into a quiet life in a world that finally seems safe until the unimaginable forces them to run once again. As Jason’s obsession with the Box deepens, Daniela’s (Jennifer Connelly) growing paranoia pushes her to the brink, threatening to tear their fragile stability apart. Elsewhere, Amanda (Alice Braga) and Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) join forces in a desperate attempt to find their way home. Blair (Amanda Brugel) is determined to stop him, while Leighton (Dayo Okeniyi) relentlessly chases his grand vision of creating a perfect world.
The series is produced for Apple TV by Sony Pictures TV. Crouch serves as creator, EP, showrunner, and writer alongside executive producers Matt Tolmach, Richard Lederer, and Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, who co-wrote every episode of season two with Crouch. In addition to starring, Edgerton and Connelly are EPs. Season 2 launches on August. 28, with its first episode, and new episodes dropping weekly through October 30
Mayday
Panelists: John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein
Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh star in this spy thriller about a hotshot U.S. Navy pilot, Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Reynolds), who is sent on a top-secret mission into Russian territory at the height of the Cold War. The operation implodes, leaving him stranded behind enemy lines. Discovered by Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent with a penchant for American culture, Troy thinks he’s toast until the two form an unlikely alliance. The cast also includes Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova, David Morse, and more. Apple Original Films and Skydance Media are producing. Pic is directed, written, and produced by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Ellison, Goldberg, and Granger produce for Skydance, alongside Maximum Effort’s Ashley Fox and Johnny Pariseau. Reynolds and George Dewey, through Maximum Effort, along with John G. Scotti, serve as EPs. The movie lands on Apple TV on September 4
Silo
Panelists: Graham Yost, Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Ashley Zukerman, Jessica Henwick, Alexandria Riley
Season 3 reveals an origin story set centuries earlier while continuing the saga of a dystopian society of 10,000 people living underground, shrouded in mystery. In the present, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) survives her forced “cleaning” but returns with memory loss as the silo recovers from rebellion and faces a dangerous new threat. Meanwhile, in the “Before Times,” journalist Helen Drew (Jessica Henwick) and Congressman Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman) uncover a conspiracy that pulls them into a chain of events with catastrophic, irreversible consequences. The cast also includes Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Rick Gomez, Billy Postlethwaite, and Clare Perkins. Season 3 additions alongside Zukerman and Henwick are Laura Innes, Jessica Brown Findlay, Morven Christie, Reed Birney, and Matt Craven, with Colin Hanks set to recur, and Steve Zahn also set to return. The series is produced by Apple Studios, with EPs including Yost, Michael Dinner, Nina Jack, Joanna Thapa, Ferguson, Morten Tyldum, Howey, Amber Templemore, Fred Golan, and Rémi Aubuchon, and AMC Studios. Season 3 launched on July 3 with weekly episodes occurring through Friday, September 4.
