UPDATED: In a blow to Comic-Con, several Hollywood studios will not be presenting sizzle reels, world premiere trailers and footage or A-list talent to promote tentpoles in the celebrated Hall H at next month’s genre jamboree due to strike concerns.
At time of writing Screen understood Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Netflix and possibly Lucasfilm will skip their presentation slots inside the storied 6,500-capacity hangar at San Diego Convention Center which over the years has hosted some of the biggest stars on the planet.
Studios are being cautious amid the ongoing Writers Guild Of America (WGA) strike, which is in its eighth week. WGA members have stopped work and promotional activities under WGA strike rules.
What has also given the studios pause for thought is the possibility of a SAG-AFTRA strike should the actors’ guild and Alliance of Motion Picture And Television Producers (AMPTP) fail to agree to a new contract before the June 30 expiration date.
Were that to happen, no guild member would be able to promote their upcoming work.
Sources said the situation may change if industrial action ends or does not take place. Directors Guild Of America membership ratified a new three-year contract with AMPTP on Friday night.
Marvel Studios has confirmed it will have a presence on the convention floor where companies sell merchandise.
At time of writing Paramount was scheduled to attend the Con with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
The absence of Marvel, Sony, and Universal is a huge blow to Comic-Con. Marvel traditionally rules the roost, teasing its upcoming roster, announcing new titles, dates, and cast, with panels featuring talent and previously unseen footage.
Universal’s 2023 release slate includes David Gordon Green’s The Exorcist sequel (October) and Andre Ovredal’s fantasy horror The Last Voyage of The Demeter (August 11). Sony executives, riding high on the box office heroics of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, would have wanted to talk up their adaptation of Kraven The Hunter starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, and Ariana DeBose (October).
Comic-Con had not replied to Screen at time of writing. However in a statement to Variety spokesperson David Glanzer said he and his team were proceeding with the summer event and wished for a speedy resolution to contract talks.
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