by Chris Bagget
If you were hoping for a preview of the James Gunn DC film slate at SDCC, you’re out of luck. The new co-CEO of DC Studios has made it clear he won’t be at the convention this year.
But he did offer some hope to fans – teasing a potential return to the event in the future.
In a post on Gunn’s Instagram celebrating what he referred to as “probably [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s] last weekend in the top ten in theaters,” Gunn answered a fan question asking if he would be making an appearance at Comic-Con. “I won’t be there this year but probably next.” he responded.
It’s not out of line for fans to hope for something. Gunn made a bombastic appearance in 2022, opening up Marvel’s Hall H presentation that year. That appearance not only showcased the first look at Guardians Vol. 3, it included Chukwudi Iwuji appearing in costume as The High Evolutionary for the first time.
Still, it would be unusual for Gunn’s new DC slate to have a presentation. Though Gunn recently confirmed on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast that Blue Beetle was “the first DCU character,” it’s still early days. The franchise just found its Superman and Lois Lane in David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, but Gunn has indicated a script for that project isn’t finished yet, while other castings like Batman are far on the horizon.
It’s shaping up to be a rather lonely Comic-Con, regardless. The usual culprits who make notable announcements at the event – Marvel, Disney, Lucasfilm, Sony, Universal, and Netflix – won’t be holding the massive Hall H panels that have become the talk of SDCC over the years. Last year saw panels announcing Marvel’s Phase 5 line-up, Dwayne Johnson appearing in costume to hype Black Adam and a Kevin Smith-hosted He-Man retrospective, among other big showings. However, the con will have its usual buzz and high-profile attendees outside of the fabled Hall H – including DC Comics returning to the show floor.
The first film in James Gunn’s DCU, Blue Beetle, stars Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord and George Lopez, and arrives in theaters August 18, 2023.
