San Diego Comic-Con 2024 is nearly upon us once again, so if you’re going, now is about the time to actually start planning your itinerary. And we mean plan, because this is almost certainly going to be one of the busiest in years.
In 2023, Hollywood mostly stayed away from San Diego thanks to the historic double strike that largely shut Hollywood down from May through November. Of course, the absence of so many entertainment giants turned out to be great news for the vendors on the main floor and the creators of Artists Alley (hopefully that success continues this year — go buy some stuff everyone). But obviously, there are massive incentives for studios and networks to come hard this year.
As always, Comic-Con international releases the SDCC schedule two weeks in advance. And don’t forget, it all starts with the annual Preview Night, happening this year on Wed. July 24.
If you’re among those with a full convention badge, you’ll get to walk the convention floor before it gets mobbed by the full 130,000+ attendees estimated to show, perfect for grabbing con-exclusives before they sell out. You’ll also get to check out screenings and other fun Preview Night events.
But even if the full schedule isn’t out yet, we already have some idea of what to expect once things get going properly on July 25.
Paramount Animation and Hasbro, for instance, landed the week’s first big Hall H panel at 11:45 a.m., featuring Chris Hemsworth and a lengthy look at “Transformers One.” And yes, Marvel Studios will be back for their usual show-stopping Hall H panel — most likely happening Saturday night (July 27) at 5:30 p.m. (We’ll keep you posted).
Meanwhile HerUniverse is celebrating its 10th anniversary, while Adult Swim and FX have big things planned for fans just offsite.
Read on for the can’t-miss events from San Diego Comic-Con 2024 — and yes we’ll be updating it daily.
Wednesday, July 24 (Preview Night)
Given that Wednesday is “preview night,” there won’t be any panels, but there will still be plenty to do.
This year’s Preview Night is packed with table top and video game demos — way too many to list here, but Gap Closer Games has by far the most slots. You can also check out free screenings of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”, if you want to relive half of Barbenheimer summer. There’s also a screening of the 1988 Tom Hanks comedy “The ‘Burbs.”
We also recommend Teaching and Learning with Comics: An Interactive Workshop, happening at 3:30 p.m. at the San Diego central library.
But this is also the time to get the lay of the land on the show floor, which will be open for limited hours, the perfect way to get the drop on convention exclusives.
Thursday, July 25
HALL H
We’ll just cut to the chase and start by telling you what’s going on at SDCC’s biggest stage. Gird yourselves.
- Paramount Animation and Hasbro Entertainment: “Transformers One” panel — 11:45 a.m., Hall H
- Celebrating 25 Years of Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” — 1-2 p.m. PT, Hall H
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians
— 2:15 p.m. PT, Hall H - What We Do in the Shadows’ Farewell Tour Kick-Off
— 3:30 p.m. PT, Hall H
You won’t want to miss this celebration of one of the greatest television gems of the last 20 years. The cast and producers will be on hand to share the world premiere of a new episode with fans. - The Ultimate Deadpool & Wolverine Celebration of Life. — 6:00 p.m. PT, Hall H.
On the day “Deadpool & Wolverine” hits theaters, Marvel Studios is holding its first-ever Thursday Hall H panel and, as far as we know, the first time its ever done it twice at the same SDCC. Details about the panel are scant; all that’s been announced is that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige will be there, as will director Shawn Levy, and stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
But be warned: Doors open at 5 PM. and “seats are limited.” Register for a chance to get into this thing here.
For those of you doing the math, that means no panels are scheduled between 4:30 and the start of this one. And TheWrap has confirmed that Hall H will be
But, we will take a massive victory lap for being REALLY CLOSE TO ON THE MONEY HERE. Until this morning, this panel was listed as TBA on the official Comic-Con schedule. Here’s what we wrote:
Why? We have no idea, but irresponsibly, we’ll speculate wildly. Could it be a “Deadpool & Wolverine” screening? We have no ideas! Could it be a special performance by an A-list star? Again, no idea! Could it be something utterly mundane and disappointing? Of course, anything’s possible. Again, we literally have no idea what this is about. “
You’re welcome for our genius. Now of course we have no idea what will happen in the panel, but it sure sounds cool.
BALLROOM 20
This is typically where the biggest TV shows that aren’t camped out in Hall H rule the roost. Here’s what you’ll want to check out.
- Spike and Mike’s All-Ages Festival of Animation — 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. PT, Ballroom 20
Things in the Ballroom kick off with one of SDCC’s best. Show up and see a collection of amazing animated shorts from all over the world. - Marvel Rivals: The Story, Art, and Sound of the Game — 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20.
- Todd McFarlane Talks Spawn Movie, Comics, and More! — 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Ballroom 20.
- “Teacup” First-Look Panel — 1:45 – 2:45 PM PT, Ballroom 20
- Behind the Action of Peacock’s Gladiator Epic “Those About to Die” — 3:00 – 4:00 PM PT, Ballroom 20.
Featuring executive producer/director Roland Emmerich and stars Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Moe Hashim, Jojo Macari, and Dimitri Leonidas, this panel dives into this weird, frankly insane and wonderful drama set in the early Roman imperial era. - Star Wars: Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away — 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20.
This panel is moderated by Patton Oswald, which guarantees it’s going to be fun and awesome no matter what. His guests include the voice cast from “Star Wars Outlaws” — Humberly Gonzalez (Kay Vess), Jay Rincon (ND-5), and Dee Bradley Baker (Nix, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: The Bad Batch). There will also be early looks at Star Wars books and comics from Justina Ireland (Defy the Storm; Mission to Disaster), Tessa Gratton (Temptation of the Force), and Cavan Scott (Star Wars: The High Republic: Children of the Storm).
OTHER GEMS
- “Gremlins: The Wild Batch” Panel — 2:15-3:15 p.m. PT, Room 6A
Executive producers Tze Chun and Brendan Hay will be there along with Ming-Na Wen (voice of Fong Wing), Izaac Wang (voice of Sam), AJ LoCascio (voice of Gizmo), and Gabrielle Nevaeh (voice of Elle) for a preview of the upcoming season. - “Avatar: Braving the Elements” – Live! with Janet Varney & Dante Basco — 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Room: 6BCF
Featuring Janet Varney and Dante Basco, co-hosts of Nickelodeon’s companion podcast, the panel will feature special guests Greg Baldwin (voice of “Uncle Iroh”), Michaela Jill Murphy (voice of the original “Toph”), and Cara O’Neil (Dark Horse Comics). - Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Panel — 2:15 – 3:15 PM PT, Room: 6BCF
More to come…
Friday, July 26
HALL H
- “The Boys” panel — 10 a.m. PDT, Hall H
Featuring showrunner Eric Kripke along with the show’s stars. - “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” panel — 11:05 a.m. PDT, Hall H
Featuring the showrunner and main cast. - Into the Whoniverse: A Doctor Who Panel — 12:30-1:30 p.m. PT, Hall H
Showrunner Russell T Davies and stars Ncuti Gatwa (the Fifteenth Doctor) and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday) make this a must for fans. - The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 — 1:45-2:45 p.m., Hall H
Moderated by SDCC pillar Chris Hardwick, the panel features showrunner and executive producer Eli Jorné and “The Walking Dead” chief content officer and executive producer Scott M. Gimple along with stars and executive producers, Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and costars Gaius Charles and Željko Ivanek. - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon—The Book of Carol — 2:45-3:45 p.m. PT, Hall H
Picking up right as the previous panel ends, Hardwick once again moderates this panel featuring showrunner and EP David Zabel, Gimple and EP and director Greg Nicotero, joined by stars and executive producers Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, alongside costar Louis Puech Scigliuzzi. - Directors on Directing — 4:00-5:00 p.m., PT, Hall H
- 20th Century Studios Alien: Romulus — 5:15-6:14 p.m. PT, Hall H
The panel features director Fede Alvarez and stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu.
BALLROOM 20
- The 24th Annual Animation Show of Shows — 10:00-11:00 a.m. PT, Ballroom 20
Start your day in the Ballroom with an hour of animated shorts suitable for children of all ages - Snowpiercer: Exclusive Advanced Screening — 11:15\
- -12:30 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
See the world premiere of a new “Snowpiercer” episode before it airs, followed by a panel discussion featuring Daveed Diggs, Mickey Sumner, and Mike O’Malley alongside executive producers Paul Zbyszewski and Christoph Schrewe - Entertainment Weekly’s Brave Warriors — 12:45-1:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
“A panel of actors discuss the thrill of playing iconic characters, the difference between their personas and real life, and the highs (and lows!) of their careers in Hollywood,” per the official description. - Collider Ladies Night Live with Perri Nemiroff 2:00-3:00 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
- TV Guide Magazine’s Fan Favorites 2024 — 3:15-4:15 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
A panel featuring a discussion with several TBA stars of genre television shows. - Trailer Park — 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Cleanse your SDCC palate with a full hour of new trailers. - “Dexter: Original Sin” panel — 5:45-6:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
- The Dragon Prince: Full Season 6 Screening — 7:00-11:00 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
OTHER GEMS
- Adapting Fan Favorites: A Conversation with Prime Video’s Adult Animation Creators — 1 p.m PT, Indigo Ballroom
Featuring Robert Kirkman (Invincible), Vivienne Medrano (Hazbin Hotel), Travis Willingham (The Legend of Vox Machina), and Kyle Hunter (Sausage Party: Foodtopia). - “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” panel — 2:30 p.m. PDT, Room 5AB
Featuring series star Ryoma Takeuchi, the producers “and a surprise A-list star.” - Harley Quinn & Kite Man: Hell Yeah! Panel — 8:15pm – 9:15 p.m. PT, Room 6BCF.
Join the casts and creators of “Kite Man: Hell Yeah!” and “Harley Quinn” for early looks and an expansive discussion. Lake Bell (“Poison Ivy”), Matt Oberg (“Kite Man”), James Adomian(“Bane”), Dean Lorey (EP) virtual, Justin Halpern (EP), Patrick Schumacker (EP) will be on hand.
More to come…
Saturday, July 27
HALL H
- Superman & Lois Special Video Presentation and Q&A — 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. PT, Hall H
James Gunn told fans back in February he wouldn’t be at SDCC because “I will be shooting, so we knew a full-on “Superman: Legacy” panel was probably a longshot. But uh, the movie has been filming since February, so we assumed Warner Bros. would tease something from the last 5 months to get the hype started.
But hell, DC Comics is far from WB’s only pipeline for big movies. And the first Hall H slot on Saturday has traditionally belonged to the company’s upcoming blockbuster slate. So surely, we thought, the company is planning something big.
Whoopsie. Glad we didn’t place bets. And yes we’re as surprised as you are. We have no idea what’s going on, but then that’s probably why we don’t make the big bucks killing completed films for tax breaks.
Anyway, “Superman & Lois” is a delightful show with a delightful cast, and this panel will likely be a low stress way to get your day in Hall H started, even if, again, all of this is really weird. - “Star Trek” Universe Panel — 1:45-3:15 PM PT, Hall H
- The Penguin Panel — 4:45-5:45pm, Hall H
Panelists include Colin Farrell—virtually(Oz Cobb aka “The Penguin” / EP), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Matt Reeves (EP), Lauren LeFranc (Showrunner / EP), and Dylan Clark (EP). - Marvel Studios — 6:00-7:15 p.m. PT, Hall H
The big one. The reason you camped out all night. Expect a whole lot to happen in a real short period of time.
Ballroom 20
- Ghosts — 10:00-10:45 a.m., PT, Ballroom 20
- Futurama — 11:00-11:45 a.m. PT, Ballroom 20
- The Simpsons — 12:00-12:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
- American Dad! — 1:00-1:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
- Family Guy — 2:00-2:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
- Critical Role: Fireside Chat and Cast Q&A — 3:00-3:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
This panel features some legends of video game voice acting. - “Silo” panel — 4:00-4:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
The acclaimed Apple TV+ show’s Comic-Con debut features a glimpse at the upcoming second season; participants include star and executive producer Rebecca Ferguson, star Common, creator and showrunner Graham Yost and executive producer Hugh Howey, plus surprise special guests. - Anne Rice Universe: Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire and Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches — 5:00-5:45 p.m. PT, Ballroom 20
If we’re being honest, while all of Saturday’s Ballroom 20 panels sounds delightful, this is the one we’re dying to see. Celebrate these beautiful, weird shows with Mark Johnson (Anne Rice Universe executive producer), Rolin Jones (Interview showrunner and executive producer), Sam Reid (“Lestat“), Delainey Hayles (“Claudia“), Assad Zaman (“Armand“) and Mara LePere-Schloop- (production designer). Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches confirmed panelists include Mark Johnson (Anne Rice Universe executive producer), Esta Spalding (Mayfair showrunner and executive producer), Alexandra Daddario(“Rowan“), Harry Hamlin (“Cortland“), Tongayi Chirisa “(Ciprien“), Ben Feldman (“Lark“), Jack Huston (“Lasher“), and Alyssa Jirrels (“Moira“). - The Comic-Con Masquerade: The 50th Anniversary Event!
It’s the 50th anniversary of one of SDCC’s greatest traditions. Don’t miss it.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
- The Legend of Kingdom Come: Documentary Preview
Moderated by TheWrap’s Mike Roe, we very strongly recommend this great panel discussing The Legend of Kingdom Come, a new documentary about the groundbreaking 1990s comic miniseries, coming in the fall on Kickstarter.
Attendees will get the new Kingdom Come film poster plus an exclusive look at the upcoming film. Panelists will take a deep dive into this iconic story that redefined the DC Universe in the 1990s! Featuring Kingdom Come writer Mark Waid, producer Sal Abbinanti, director/editor Remsy Atassi, and acclaimed writers Julie Benson and Shawna Benson. It’s a celebration of ’90s comics nostalgia—with timeless art and storytelling that feel even more relevant in 2024.
OTHER GEMS
- AUDIBLE – THE SAFE MAN PANEL — 12:30-1:30 pm PT, Room 6A
From #1 New York Times best-selling author Michael Connelly (Bosch, The Lincoln Lawyer) and Audible comes riveting supernatural audio thriller featuring brilliant sound design, an eerie setting in the tropics of Florida, and an incredible cast. Join suspense legend Michael Connelly and The Safe Man star Jack Quaid (The Boys) as they discuss how this pulse-pounding detective story comes to life as a hit Audible Original podcast.
The Safe Man tells the story of Brian Holloway (Jack Quaid) who was hired by famous horror author Paul Robinette (Titus Welliver, Bosch) to crack an antique safe in his home, he had no idea what he was about to encounter. Opening that safe door unleashed something sinister — something that continues to haunt him. But what exactly? And can whatever slipped through that threshold be stopped? Plagued by a series of disturbing supernatural encounters, chilling prophecies, and a criminal investigation into a missing girl, Brian begins to realize that he is inexplicably linked to the eternal, and that he must defy fate if he has any chance of saving the most important person in his life. - “Batman: Caped Crusader” Panel — 2:45 p.m. PDT, Room 6BCF
- “FROM” Panel — 6:45 p.m. PDT, Indigo Ballroom
- A Celebration of ‘Hazbin Hotel,’ Hosted by Hot Topic — 10:00 p.m. PDT, 6BCF
Sunday, July 28
More to come…
Head here for all of TheWrap’s San Diego Comic-Con 2024 coverage.