Warner Bros. will have a reduced presence at San Diego Comic Con 2022 but two major shows will still be appearing while still awaiting news on films…
Warner Bros. will have a reduced presence at San Diego Comic Con 2022 but the studio will still be bringing some high profile projects to the massive convention, which returns with fans in attendance for the first time since 2019.
The upcoming “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon,” the new Netflix series “Sandman” and the new season of “Harley Quinn” will all take center stage as featured panels at San Diego Comic Con, which runs from July 20 through July 24.
“House of the Dragon” is a high priority for Warner Bros. as the first spinoff from “Game of Thrones,” which ended its eight season run back in 2019. The first season of “House of the Dragon” will debut on August 21 so it’s perfect timing with the convention happening almost exactly four weeks prior to the show’s premiere.
Dragons are coming to San Diego @Comic_Con. #HOTDSDCC pic.twitter.com/ULQMk3kg4K
— House of the Dragon (@HouseofDragon) June 27, 2022
“Sandman” has also become a very ambitious project for Warner Bros. with the first live action adaptation of the popular Neil Gaiman comic book comes to Netflix on August 5.
Now here’s where things take an interesting turn.
Unlike past years where Warner Bros. and DC served as one of the biggest attractions on the Comic Con floor, the studio has decided to skip out on bringing a booth to the convention in 2022. The decision likely comes as a cost cutting measure after the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger was completed with the studio looking to shed a lot of money heading into the latter part of the year and then going into 2023.
Over the years, DC has been one of the booths that saw the most foot traffic with the studio often bringing in costumes from high profile film projects like past “Batman” films as well as “Justice League” not to mention signings with cast members from various movies. There were also live artist exhibitions and dozens of comic book signings as well but none of that will be taking place at Comic Con in 2022.
That said, Warner Bros. and DC will still present a number of panels but another change this year will be the disappearance of many of The CW series produced by the studio. “The Flash” and “Superman and Lois” will both be absent from San Diego Comic Con with the only CW series currently slated to receive a panel being “Riverdale” as the Archie Comics based series heads into his sixth and final season in 2023.
There’s still no word yet on the film slate that Warner Bros. could potentially bring to San Diego Comic Con, although there are rumors that there might not be any presence for DC related movies even with upcoming releases such as “Black Adam” and “Shazam: Fury of the Gods.”
Of course, it’s no surprise that Warner Bros. will not be bringing any attention to “The Flash” movie due out in 2023 given the current controversy swirling around lead star Ezra Miller. Several other projects due out in 2023 have also been deemed as too far in the future for Warner Bros. and DC to make any investment in marketing at San Diego Comic Con this year.
That’s a far cry from past years where the studio has been one of the dominant forces on Saturday in the massive Hall H where films like “Batman V. Superman” were first announced.
In addition to Warner Bros. having a reduced presence, both Paramount and Universal will reportedly skip out on San Diego Comic Con 2022, although Marvel Studios will have a presentation at the convention.
