Aliens, Predators, and Peacemakers Dominate Comic-Con

Comic-Con’s doors officially open today in San Diego, where tens of thousands of pop culture fans from across the world will descend on the city — and this year, geeks are especially excited about a particular first-time attendance.

Iconic filmmaker George Lucas is attending Comic-Con for the first time, even though the event has been closely tied to the cult favorites Star Wars and Indiana Jones, which he’s had a hand in creating.

Comic-Con’s Chief Communications and Strategy Officer David Glanzer emphasized the historic nature of the filmmaker’s attendance. “Nearly five decades ago, Star Wars made one of its earliest public appearances at our convention, and had a booth that featured [comic book artist] Howard Chaykin’s now legendary Star Wars poster as a promo item. We are so excited that George Lucas will be in attendance this year, it is a true full-circle moment,” he said in a statement.

Lucas, who is now focused on his work with Lucasfilm, will be in attendance at Comic-Con this year to help moderate a Sunday panel on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a new cultural initiative that is set to open its doors in Los Angeles next year. Lucas will be joined by Oscar-winning Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and Oscar-winning artist Doug Chiang, who has worked on conceptualizing the Star Wars universe for decades. At the panel, Lucas, Chiang, and del Toro will discuss the new art museum and its goal of “honoring and showcasing illustrated storytelling and the art of storytelling through the intersection of film, comics, and concept art.” The museum will also feature “a comprehensive archive” of Lucas’s collection.

Comic-Con 2022’s big names

Founded in 1970, the convention started as an intimate event where comic book fans would gather in San Diego. It has since grown into one of the largest pop culture festivals in the world, with 2022’s edition seeing around 130,000 people in attendance. Comic-Con not only gives attendees the chance to cosplay, purchase collectibles, and speak with creators, but also experience the event as a chance to catch early screenings, panel discussions, and world premieres from some of the most exciting upcoming projects in Hollywood.

Aliens on Earth and the Predator who is the prey

One of the more highly anticipated announcements at this year’s Comic-Con is the world premiere of a new series called Alien: Earth, which will show off the first few minutes of the show and tease what’s to come for the prequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic Alien.

The new show, directed by Noah Hawley, will be a deeper dive into the franchise’s universe that’s set just a few years before the events of the original Alien, which focuses on archaeologist and newlywed spaceship officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). The series will premiere on an as-yet-unnamed streaming service in August and will make its world premiere tomorrow in Hall H, the convention’s largest and most sought-after venue.

Fans will also be checking out the upcoming Predator film, Predator: Badlands. The new movie will be a continuation of the sci-fi franchise, but for the first time, the hunter will become the hunted, in what has been described as a Predator-reboot “done right.” Filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg, who made 2022’s Prey — which acted as a reboot for the Alien and Predator series as they’re linked by universe — will be on the panel along with Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who plays the alien Dek. Fans will get an update on where the reboot is headed.

Marvel’s scaled-back presence

Marvel Studios will not have as big of a presence at Comic-Con 2022, as it will be scaling back its participation this year. The studio has decided to skip its usual Hall H mega-showcase, and as a result, the panel has been reassigned. It was speculated that the reduced presence was because the studio was still in production for its next Avengers movie, but according to Variety, the studio faced more logistical issues than anticipated due to its “large portion of production taking place in the UK.”

However, Marvel’s absence has not let the weekend’s energy down, as there’s no shortage of sci-fi stars set to take over the weekend. Panel programming in Hall H shows that this year’s Comic-Con has a lot of exciting projects to keep fans fired up.

Ryan Gosling, Peacemaker, and other Comic-Con attendees

One of the most hotly awaited appearances is from Project Hail Mary, based on the book of the same name by The Martian author Andy Weir. The upcoming space adventure movie will be released in theaters next year and will see Ryan Gosling play the role of Ryland Grace, a former school teacher who wakes up in a spaceship to find out he is the only crewmember, and that he may be humanity’s last chance of survival. Gosling will be joined at Saturday’s panel by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, known for the Spider-Verse trilogy.

DC fans will also be able to catch an update on the second season of Peacemaker, with creator James Gunn on board to join the rest of the cast and give some behind-the-scenes footage and first looks at the new season. Gunn was tapped this year to lead DC’s broad reboot of its films, now with Superman in the mix.

Fans dressing up in costumes, conventions through Sunday

Comic-Con 2022 is a chance for fans to dress up as their favorite princess, warrior, alien, or hero, and thousands are expected to flock to the San Diego Convention Center decked out in cosplay this weekend. The event continues through Sunday, July 27.

George Lucas is making his first Comic-Con appearance, but fans will be watching out for the first looks at a new alien-hybrid world, and deep dives into their favorite comics and cosplay.