SAN DIEGO – Rumors have been flying around the convention hall and the surrounding vicinity that Friday afternoon’s Star Wars panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego will include news that Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow will direct Star Wars: Episode IX. A number of other announcements are expected as well, as is a crowd of hardcore fans.
Star Wars enthusiasts have been camped out in line for well over 24 hours to secure tickets for the panel.
If the rumor proves true, Trevorrow will succeed directors J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson on Episode VII and Episode VIII, respectively.
The aisles of the convention are filled with fans toting Star Wars merchandise, and the news is not limited to Friday’s highly anticipated panel. Marvel Comics, which recently launched a slate of Star Wars comic books, announced a new Chewbacca limited series by writer Gerry Duggan and artist Phil Noto.
It’s not all Star Wars, though – not by a long stretch. Devoted fans of many different films, shows and comic book series have found panels with stars, producers and creators during which past high points are touted and upcoming events are teased.
This was definitely the case for the BBC’s Sherlock, which has a tremendous following in the U.S. both on PBS and later on Netflix. Showrunner and series co-creator Steven Moffat announced at their panel on Thursday that the Sherlock Christmas Special will get a limited theatrical release in select cities. Unlike the regular series, which is set in contemporary London, the Christmas Special takes place in the original era of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s consulting detective. PBS now has a trailer available on YouTube for the one-shot episode, which has yet to be scheduled officially in the U.S.
Another of the many media-related announcements came in the form of news that veteran actor Neal McDonough, who has played “Dum Dum” Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger and on both Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, will also take a role in on The CW’s Arrow, giving him a place in both the Marvel and DC universes. McDonough will play Damien Darhk, who is touted as a potential foe of both Arrow (based on the comic book character Green Arrow) and the complex villain Ra’s al Ghul (the character first appeared cinematically in Batman Begins and in comic books in Batman #232 in June 1971). The character of Darhk first appeared in 1999’s Titans #1.
Local and network broadcasters, Internet reporters and bloggers punctuated the crowds on Thursday, interviewing attendees, vendors and exhibitors. According to a number of Comic-Con veterans, many of the questions are still “cringe-worthy,” but overall the mainstream media’s awareness of what’s going on in this bastion of pop culture continues to grow at an exponential rate.
On the collectibles side, there hasn’t been a single, show-stopping news item like last year’s announcement of a CGC 9.0 copy of Action Comics #1 being put up for auction on eBay (the one that later sold for $3.2 million). That hasn’t stopped many dealers for both comic books and original comic art from experiencing strong sales. There are still several days to go, though, and this is an expensive show at which to set up, so often one can only get a true sense of the ups and downs when things wrap up on Sunday.
By J.C. VAUGHN
