George Lucas has never visited the convention before, despite Comic-Con's culture being deeply rooted in his Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Photo / Getty Images
George Lucas has never visited the convention before, despite Comic-Con's culture being deeply rooted in his Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Photo / Getty Images
Comic-Con kicks off later today in San Diego, California, with expectations running high among devoted fans keen to catch a glimpse of George Lucas on his first appearance at the convention.
Other expected highlights of the gathering – one of the world’s biggest celebrations of pop culture – include theworld premiere of the prequel series Alien: Earth.
Comic-Con began holding events in San Diego in 1970, as a low-key and rather niche huddle, but has now grown to an annual get-together that attracts 130,000 people eager to hear behind-the-scenes tidbits from Hollywood stars and directors unveiling their latest projects.
This year’s edition will be marked by the presence of legendary filmmaker Lucas, who has never visited the convention before, despite Comic-Con culture being deeply rooted in his Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises.
In a session on Sunday set to be moderated by Queen Latifah, Lucas will discuss the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar-winning artist Doug Chiang, who has shaped the iconic Star Wars universe for decades.
The museum, scheduled to open in Los Angeles next year, will be dedicated to illustrated narratives and will house the Lucas archive.
“Nearly five decades ago, Star Wars made one of its earliest public appearances at our convention, along with a booth featuring [comic book artist] Howard Chaykin’s now legendary Star Wars poster as a promotional item,” said David Glanzer, the event’s chief communications and strategy officer.
“Now, to have Mr Lucas ... is a true full-circle moment. His lifelong dedication to visual storytelling and world-building resonates deeply with us and our community.”
Marvel Studios will have a smaller presence at the convention this year, skipping its eagerly awaited annual presentation in Hall H.
According to Variety, changes to the premiere of the new Avengers instalment complicated logistics for the studio, whose cast is currently filming in Britain.
Despite this notable absence, events at the coveted Hall H still promise great excitement for fans of science fiction, a core genre of the convention.
Comic-Con will host the world premiere of the pilot episode of the prequel Alien: Earth. Photo / FX Networks via Instagram
On Friday, it will host the world premiere of the pilot episode of the prequel Alien: Earth, directed by Noah Hawley and slated to hit streaming platforms in August.
The series takes place a couple of years before the events depicted in Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien, offering an expansion of the venerated franchise.
Another fan favourite that will have its moment in the spotlight is Predator: Badlands, with a panel tomorrow set to include director Dan Trachtenberg, who revitalised the brand with Prey (2022).
Joining him will be stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who plays the predator Dek.
The panel is expected to reveal more from the production, which centres the predator as prey, not hunter, for the first time.
On Saturday, award-winning actor Ryan Gosling and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (behind the new Spider-Verse trilogy) will present their Project Hail Mary, which is due in theatres next year.
The film, based on the book by Andy Weir (The Martian), follows Ryland Grace (Gosling), a former science teacher who wakes up on a spaceship to discover he’s on a mission to save the Earth.
Another buzzed-about presentation is for the highly anticipated second season of Peacemaker, in which James Gunn (Superman) and his cast are expected to offer sneak peeks.
But it won’t all be deadly serious. Thousands of fans in attendance will come dressed as princesses, warriors, aliens and other characters from the pantheon of pop culture.
