San Diego Comic-Con is considered the Mecca for comic book and movie lovers with imaginative cosplays, meeting their favorite stars, and big Hall H presentations, and the event is usually jampacked with people from across the country. But the pandemic brought that to a halt before the festival made a roaring comeback with SDCC 2022 with a masked-and-vaccinated convention and huge announcements. However, with recent developments in Hollywood, where the Writers Guild of America is still on strike and the SAG-AFTRA negotiation deadline is looming large, the festival might see another setback again, as per a new report in Variety.
How the Strike Is Affecting SDCC
The next edition of the five-day event is set to commence on July 19, which is less than a month away, and while usually fans have a good idea by this time about the presentations and panels, this year due to the ongoing writers’ strike and chances of SAG-AFTRA joining them soon on the picket lines, most notable studios have strayed away from making any SDCC announcements.
Studios like Marvel Studios, which is famous for its Hall H presentations have already nixed their plans despite having features in the works like Loki season two and The Marvels, and the same goes for Disney. Similarly, HBO which has many fan-favorite shows, will be a no-show at the festival. Netflix, which recently held its annual fan fest TUDUM, is also conveniently sitting out, and so are Sony and Universal Pictures with features like Kraven: The Hunter, Gran Turismo, The Exorcist, Strays, and the likes under their belt.
On the other hand, David Zaslav-led Warner Bros Discovery is still in the wait-and-see phase as it has features like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Blue Beetle in need of good PR after The Flash and Shazam Fury of the Gods failed at the box office. Per the report, the newly rebranded Max is planning on bringing some animation titles to the convention. Furthermore, Paramount is expected to join the fest with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, however, its streaming service, Paramount+, is yet to commit to panels for its Star Trek shows. Given the actors might go on strike, no studio at the moment wants to commit to panels risking the absence of its leading talents.
Speaking of the situation, Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer said in a statement, “With regard to the strike and its possible effects on Comic-Con, we tend to refrain from speculation or forecasting. I will say, our hope is for a speedy resolution that will prove beneficial to all parties and allow everyone to continue the work they love. Until then, we continue to diligently work on our summer event in the hopes of making it as fun, educational, and celebratory as in years past.”
San Diego Comic-Con is set to begin on July 19. Watch this space for further developments.
via Collider