Comic-Con 2012: Hall H Film Panels Announced
Comic-Con 2012 is less than a week away, and if you’re one of the 130,000 or so lucky folks clutching one of the most coveted tickets in geekdom, then you must certainly be getting excited for what is certain to be an out-of-this-world adventure!
[Featured image via San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog]
In San Diego Convention Center’s cavernous Hall H — where Comic-Con traditionally previews upcoming movies with trailers and panel sessions — a full roster of programming has been announced that is sure to tickle the fancy of any sci-fi fan. Several major studios are once again pulling out all the stops and bringing in a bevy of producers, directors and stars to talk about their films. To the delight of fans, some Comic-Con sessions even include previews of movies still in the making, which helps to contribute to that unique “insider” feeling which permeates the largest pop culture convention in the United States.
Some highlights of the scheduled Hall H programming follows:
Walt Disney Pictures is bringing director Tim Burton to Hall H on Thursday, July 12 to host a Q&A for “Frankenweenie,” Now a full-length black-and-white stop motion 3D animated film, “Frankenweenie” is a remake of Burton’s own 1984 animated sci-fi short of the same name. This touching tale of an ambitious boy scientist and his reanimated pup stars the voice talents of Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau and Christopher Lee, among others.
Screen Gems is presenting a 3D preview of “Resident Evil: Retribution” on Friday, July 13, as well as hosting a panel discussion in Hall H from 4:05 – 4:35 p.m. The movie’s stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Oded Fehr, Boris Kodjoe, Mika Nakashima and director Paul W.S. Anderson are scheduled to appear at the panel to talk about the making of this 5th installment in the highly successful “Resident Evil” film series.
On Saturday, July 14, Director Guillermo del Toro, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi and Ron Perlman will be appearing in Hall H at 2:30 p.m. for a panel on “Pacific Rim,” the Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures film scheduled to open July 12, 2013. This sci-fi action adventure film has been described as a homage to Japanese giant monster films, or in Del Toro’s own words, “It’s really a very, very beautiful poem to giant monsters. Giant monsters versus giant robots. Twenty-five-story-high robots beating the crap out of 25-story-high monsters.”
Marvel Studios is set to take the stage in Hall H on Saturday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m., when producer Kevin Feige and some as yet unannounced “special guests” are supposed to “provide an inside look at the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.” If past Comic-Con panels are any indication, this may well include a sneak peek of raw footage from “Iron Man 3” which started filming in North Carolina in May of this year.
And on Sunday, July 15, BBC America’s Doctor Who himself, Matt Smith, along with Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and executive producers Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner, will appear for a “Doctor Who” Comic-Con panel and Q&A session. Back in March, Moffat tweeted: “Amy & Rory will leave in a final encounter with the Weeping Angels in Episode 5. Not everyone gets out alive, and I mean it this time.” Fans will most probably be treated to some new footage from the season premiere and perhaps get a few insights concerning the Ponds’ sad but expected departure mid-season.
