Each year, fans from across the globe converge in downtown San Diego to experience the madness that is San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). 2023 will be an interesting year for the annual gathering, as multiple big kid studios and projects are opting not to have a presence.
Of course, there is also the ongoing WGA strike, and the looming (and likely) possibility of a historic SAG-AFTRA strike on top of that.
This morning, the SDCC panel schedule for Wednesday and Thursday went live. Some of the tentpole panels (“What We Do In The Shadows,” “The Wheel Of Time“) DON’T have talent (writers or actors) mentioned. This does happen- shooting schedules, travel, other obligations- but it’s sort of a glaring thing this year in particular.
If SAG-AFTRA cannot come to a contract agreement by July 12th (the new extended negotiation deadline), a strike is more than probable. For SDCC, this would likely mean members of the union would be skipping official panels and events, as well as possibly picketing. A few sources in both the WGA and SAG have mentioned plans for such a thing are already in the works.
We already know Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios, HBO, and Netflix are skipping SDCC. That means no big panels in Ballroom 20, the Indigo, or Hall H. DC Studios co-head James Gunn recently revealed he would not be attending either, throwing more fuel on the fire of a Superman/Batman-less WB showing. Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery have yet to make any kind of official announcement, other than a few animated projects having their premieres during the event.
Universal Pictures WILL have some offerings, including the upcoming “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” animated film. Paramount as well has at least two panels on Thursday’s schedule- CBS’s “Ghosts,” and a Roddenberry Presents catch-all that will cover “Star Trek.” NBC’s Peacock will also have a spotlight panel for their upcoming “Twisted Metal” series.
You can check out the schedule for yourself here. Tomorrow we’ll be getting the Friday schedule, and so on. SDCC 2023 takes place July 20th-23rd.
Mary Anne Butler
Mary Anne Butler (Mab) has been part of the fast-paced world of journalism since she was 15, getting her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (where she is still Editor-in-Chief), Bleeding Cool (where she was News Editor), and now Nerdbot as Editor-In-Chief. Over the past 10 years, she’s built a reputation at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band with an international presence. Though she be but little, she is fierce.
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