Comic Con descends upon San Diego like a plague of locusts this week. The largest convention of geeks, nerds, dweebs and other socially awkward malcontents can be a daunting challenge to even the most hardened SDCC veterans.
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For everything you see, there's something else you have to miss. We here at GameNGuide are no strangers to the workings of SDCC and to the love of film and television the convention brings year after year. Let's give you a rundown of some of our most anticipated things to see at San Diego.
Special Sneek Peek Pilot Screenings - Wednesday July 23 6:00-10:00; Ballroom 20 - in Comic Con tradition, WB is continuing their annual Preview Night tradition. Attendees will be the first to see the pilots for the upcoming The Flash series as well as Constantine, the adaptation of Hellblazer. Fans will also get a chance to check out the next great DC adaptation, iZombie, in which " Olivia "Liv" Moore, a 25-year-old medical resident, is on the fast track to a perfect life...until she's turned into a zombie. Now stuck somewhere between half-alive and undead, Liv loses all traces of her former drive and ambition. She transfers her medical residency to the city morgue in order to reluctantly access the only real form of sustenance left available to her-and the only thing that allows her to maintain her humanity-human brains. But there are side effects to Liv's new diet: With each brain she consumes, Liv experiences "visions"-flashes of the corpse's memories-including, in some cases, clues as to how they were killed." Sounds like Warm Bodies but hey, I loved Warm Bodies, so rock on!
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Attendees will also get to check out Teen Titans Go! Join the kids in all new comedic adventures both in and out of Titans Tower, and tonight you'll get to see a brand new episode.
Person Of Interest Video Presentation Q&A - Saturday July 26 6:15-7:00; Room 6BCF - Person of Interest is the single best show currently on network television. It's a blend of science fiction, 70s paranoia thriller and case of the week procedural that survives only because the CBS audience doesn't realize this isn't Law & Order yet. The show features stellar performances all around and an endlessly twisting plot. If you want great female characters, look no further than Root and Shaw, two of the best on television anywhere. Executive producer Greg Plageman and series offer a special video presentation and Q&A. Join the discussion, as the science "fiction" of Person of Interest stays one step ahead of real-world events.
Warner Brothers And DC Comics Panel And World Premiere Of Gotham - Saturday July 26 8:00-11:00; Hall H - the biggest film and television event of the entire con. WB will be on hand to present, in their entirety, the pilots to their upcoming properties Gotham and The Flash, as well as have some exclusive first looks at the third season of the 'how is this show this good' Arrow. Constantine will also be getting a special presentation. The whole panel is moderated by Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow himself Stephen Amell, who I hope will be doing some salmon ladder exercises. Cast members from all the shows will be on hand to field questions. Get there early if you hope to get a seat!
Batman: Assault on Arkham - Friday July 25 7:00-9:00; Ballroom 20 - the world premiere of the next entry into DC's animated franchise takes its cue from the best selling Batman: Arkham game series. "We find Gotham in great danger when the government assembles a group of villains-code-named The Suicide Squad-and forces them to break into Arkham Asylum to retrieve top-secret information stolen by the Riddler. Things take a turn for the worse when Harley Quinn frees the Joker, who is intent on using a dirty bomb to blow up Arkham Asylum and Gotham City. Batman must use his superhero wits and strength to thwart the wicked plans of the Joker and the Suicide Squad." There will be a panel afterwards, so don't go anywhere. Panelists include Troy Baker, Kevin Conroy and John DiMaggio and more.
There will be special announcements, exclusive prizes for a few lucky fans, and a few potential surprises. Batman: Assault on Arkham will be available on Digital HD on July 29 and as a Blu-ray Combo Pack on August 12.
The Chair: One Script, Two Visions - Friday July 25 1:30-2:30, Marriott Hall 2 at the Marriott Marquis & Marina. The great failure of the reality show Behind The Lot, where young filmmakers have to direct their way to glory, was that it relied too much on the director also being a good writer. The Chair, produced by Chris Moore of Project Greenlight, gives two directors the same script, a bunch of money and asks them to go crazy. It's a much better way to determine who has the chops. The panel will feature producer Zachary Quinto and directors Shane Dawson and Anna Martemucci as well as screenwriter Dan Schoffer and producer Josh Shader, join together for a panel moderated by Chris Moore, including exclusive clips from both films (Untitled Shane Dawson Movie and Hollidaysburg) and from the Starz TV show, premiering this fall.
1984's Greatest Geek Movies: Big Brother Wasn't The Only One Watching While Doves Cried - Thursday July 24 2:00-3:00; Room 5AB - do you realize how many great movies came out in 84? Seriously, look at this list: The Terminator, Gremlins, Repo Man, Ghostbusters, Dune, Splash, This is Spinal Tap, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, Star Trek III, Buckaroo Banzai, Body Double, The Karate Kid, Red Dawn, Night of the Comet, Once Upon a Time in America, This is Spinal Tap, and, of course, the incomparable Purple Rain. Okay, Star Trek III is garbage, but Temple of Doom is just all kinds of awesome. Take a look back at these and other titles with panelists Ashley E. Miller (Thor, new Terminator TV series), David E. Williams (editor, GEEK magazine), Robert Meyer Burnett (Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-rays), Marc Berandin (The Hollywood Reporter), Steve Melching (The Clone Wars, Transformers Prime), Joe Kraemer (Jack Reacher), and moderator Mark A. Altman (Free Enterprise, DOA: Dead or Alive). This panel is sure to get turned up to 11.
American Horror Story: Coven Panel - Saturday July 26 7:00-8:00, Room 6DE - Who's the baddest witch in town? For the first time ever, the critically acclaimed miniseries visits Comic-Con with an exclusive look back at AHS: Coven followed by an all-star panel featuring AHS cast members Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Michael Chiklis, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, and executive producer Tim Minear. The panel will also treat fans to some exclusive secrets from the set of the next franchise installment, AHS: Freak Show. If you attened, please ask them just what the hell happened there at the end of last season.
Greatest Geek Movies Never Made - Friday July 25 5:00-6:00; Room 7AB - the film industry is riddled with stories of the 'never-meant-to-be' projects. For every film that makes it to the theater, a dozen more miss the cut. This panel will explore some of the industry's greatest misses, from Philip Kaufman's Star Trek: Planet of Titans (the original '70s Star Trek reboot that was never made) to David Lynch's Ronnie Rocket and One Saliva Bubble to Bryan Singer's Battlestar Galactica to an incredible look at Alejandro Jodorowsky's mind-blowing adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune. Stephen Scarlata, who produced Jodorowsky's Dune documentary will be on hand with many others.
Neil Gaiman Documentary - Friday July 25 7:00-8:00; Room 4 - Neil Gaiman is one of our most beloved modern storytellers, crafting amazing fantasy worlds across comics, novels, films, and music. But what is his story? This new documentary takes you along for the ride on Neil's record-setting 2013 signing tour, and explores a life as fantastical as one of his stories. Filmmakers Patrick Meaney (Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods) and Jordan Rennert (Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts), Neil's "Pepper Potts" Cat Mihos, and a special guest present an exclusive first look at the film. Might the man himself be making an appearance?
Game Of Thrones Panel - Friday, July 25 1:40-2:40; Hall H - a packed room is coming. Over 3000 people have already signed up to go, so don't expect to find a seat, even in the massive Hall H. Game of Thrones concluded its 10-episode fourth season in June and will begin filming its fifth season this summer. The series, executive produced and written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, is an epic story of treachery and nobility, set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years. Featured cast include Gwendoline Christie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Natalie Dormer, Kit Harington, Rose Leslie, Rory McCann, Pedro Pascal, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. I very much look forward to hearing Pascal, Leslie and McCann's thoughts on being off the show now.
That's our list. If you find yourself at Comic Con, make plans to check out as many of these as you can. They will all be well worth the effort.
