UPDATE 2! What To Expect From The Star Wars Franchise At The 2014 San Diego Comic Con!

San Diego Comic Con Logo

About a month from now, one of the biggest conventions in America will start up once again – the San Diego Comic-Con International! Comic-Con almost always features Star Wars media – much of which is actually not related to comic books at all, but pop culture. Where pop culture is found, Star Wars is certain to follow – and it the convention might be the first place we could get a glimpse at Episode VII! With a bonanza of Disney-produced media headed our way in the coming years, now is a good time to get an estimate of what we’ll be seeing at this year’s convention… Right after the jump!

 

Alex Ross's Artwork For The Star Wars Comic Series

First and foremost, it would be prudent to talk about the original subject of the convention – comic books. Earlier this year, Disney re-obtained the rights to produce Star Wars comics under their Marvel label after publisher Dark Horse had created Star Wars comics for over twenty years. However, Dark Horse’s contract to publish Star Wars comics isn’t officially terminated until the end of this year, so while we aren’t going to be seeing any new series announced, it’s likely that they’ll present collected editions of their concluding series (including Darth Maul: Son Of Dathomir, which has the distinction of being a canonical story) and release them by the end of the year as a last hurrah. It’s not clear who will publish Dark Horse’s old comics after their contract ends, but it’s likely they will fall under the Star Wars Legends label when they are eventually reprinted (again, with the exception of Son Of Dathomir, a canonical story).

 

In the meantime, Marvel is poised to unveil information about their new limited and ongoing Star Wars series for the first time. Presumably, this will include series from many different time periods in the Star Wars universe. There are some scripts of Star Wars The Clone Wars that were completed, but left unadapted due to Disney’s cancelling of the show. These would be ripe for adapting as a comic as was the case with Son Of Dathomir (this is the last time I’m mentioning that comic, I swear), but it’s more likely that a series based on Star Wars Rebels will have a greater priority in terms of development.

 

Star Wars Rebels Toyline Box

It’s likely that they’ll also come up with a couple of titles based on lead characters from the franchise, in part to appeal to older fans and in part to introduce newer fans to major characters in the Sequel Trilogy. Speaking of the Sequel Trilogy, a series that would ease right into Episode VII is a definite possibility, and it would likely be a shrewd marketing move – after all, Marvel did get decent boost in sales by releasing issues of The Amazing Spider-Man featuring the villains from the movies around the time the films reached theaters. All in all, they’ll hopefully come up with better stories than they did in previous years with the license (looking at you, Jaxxon).

 

But as I said, Comic-Con tends to be a major event for the Star Wars media empire as a whole – including the video games, television shows, and movies. Some toys are likely to be previewed, but aside from the inevitable announcement of the first wave of Star Wars Rebels toys, what other toy are forthcoming will be unclear until we actually get word from Hasbro. One thing that I know we aren’t going to see is information on the new Del Ray books, since novels have never really been a focus of Comic-Con. It’s a shame, because I’m looking forward to Tarkin and the other works that will redefine the EU. (Null, see first update.)

 

DICE's Battlefront - Menu Mockup
Mockup by YouTube user race999999.

Video games are probably one of the most profitable venues of Star Wars merchandise, and now the industry titan Electronic Arts is looking to ensure that Star Wars games can sell as much as established franchises like Battlefield. Speaking of Battlefield, DICE’s Battlefront seems to be the opportune title EA could use to get players to fork over money faster than Han Solo could make the Kessel Run. Combining the franticness of a war game with the inventiveness of Star Wars seems like a match made in Heaven, and money made off of DLC could probably keep EA running strong. Nonetheless, I fear that we won’t be seeing much of Battlefront at Comic-Con, given that the E3 2014 preview only showed a few seconds of gameplay and was primarily a developer diary, not to mention that the developers themselves said that they’re saving a lot of information about the game for Spring 2015 (just in time for Celebration VII).

 

On the bright side, there’s the possibility that Visceral Games – one of EA’s other subsidiaries – could tease their own project, and it’s more than likely that a mobile app or two could sneak in. What Visceral is working on is anyone’s guess, but with the director of the Uncharted series on board, rumors have even suggested that it could be a reboot of the ill-fated Boba Fett story, Star Wars 1313, or a story about a certain Corellian smuggler…

 

Star Wars Rebels - Cartoon Logo

While the presence of video games will be somewhat uncertain for Comic-Con, it’s all but guaranteed that the television series Star Wars Rebels will be previewed at the expo with a brand-spanking-new trailer. Given that the premiere date of the show has been teased before, and that the show is slated to air in Autumn 2014 with no delays in sight, I see no reason for Disney to keep an official release date hidden any longer. It’s also possible that Disney might also reveal information about what has become of Star Wars Detours, Seth Green’s comedy cartoon. A MegaCon 2014 tweet revealed that the show would still be released eventually, with over thirty episodes finished and several scripts written. I wouldn’t expect too much news on the Star Wars Detours front, as the series was temporarily put in carbonite until Disney could figure out when they could start airing it, but nothing is impossible.

 

Last but certainly not least, there’s the little matter of the movies that are headed our way. By the time Comic Con rolls around, most of the primary filming for Episode VII will be finished – Abrams’s own estimate in a French interview was that the movie would be filmed over the course of three months or so, and filming began back in April. Of course, Harrison Ford’s injury complicates matters, but with post-production slated to take about a year (and it happens as more and more footage is filmed), it’s likely that his unfortunate situation will be sorted out with enough time to spare for the December 18, 2015 release date. This, of course, begs the question – with a year and a half to go before we return to the stars, could Disney be willing to share more details about the future blockbuster? It may seem early, but the possibility of new information about Episode VII is more likely than you think – Disney’s major conventions, the Star Wars-themed Celebration VII and the everything Disney-themed D23 aren’t going to happen until Spring 2o15 and Summer 2015 respectively, and fans would likely riot if Disney attempted to keep quiet for that long.

 

Star Wars VII: [INSERT TITLE HERE]
Could we be hearing the official subtitle soon?

Insiders note that we may see the coveted subtitle to Episode VII, keeping in line with last Comic Con’s reveal of the subtitle to the sequel to The Avengers, which was Age Of Ultron. Bear in mind that that movie had its name dropped about a year and a half before the release date (with a teaser following shortly after), which could serve as a possible parallel with Star Wars. An official poster may also pop up, but it would most likely be limited to a logo and a tagline. I’m not operating under the illusion that Disney is going to place a higher priority on teasing Avengers: Age Of Ultron before they even think about talking Star Wars, but still – this is Star Wars we’re talking about here. With Disney’s Guardians Of The Galaxy set to hit the silver screen shortly after Comic Con, I am hooked on a feeling that we could be getting a brief teaser at Comic Con that would shortly be attached to the movie. I’m not expecting an abundance of footage or anything, but I could imagine them pulling what Warner Bros. did with The Dark Knight and having a sound-and-logo-only initial teaser – it’d be cost effective and create interest in the movie’s story. We might also get information on the spin-offs, but I’d imagine that the bigger Star Wars project comes first in promotion.

 

Disney will most likely call for a few Star Wars panels for the June 24-27 convention – after all, what better way is there to leave a mark on the reinvented franchise than to hit the ground running? Disney is certainly going to bring about an onslaught of new Star Wars media in this year, the next, and the many that follow, and hopefully, this year’s Comic Con will merely scratch the surface of the infinite potential the series has. In any case, the Force is bound to be with us in San Diego.

 

What would you like to see at Comic Con 2014? Do you think there could there surprises for us lying in wait? Let us know in the comments.

 

UPDATE 1!

 

It appears that I was mistaken about Del Ray not having a presence at Comic Con in a previous rendition of this article, as evidenced by their appearances at the convention in years past. I myself have never attended the convention (something I hope to fix one day), only hearing about it in news coverage. They have not yet made a statement as to whether or not they will be at this convention (the schedule does not arrive until about halfway through July), but it is likely that they will be a part of the Star Wars media onslaught.

 

Del Ray had previously announced that it was to publish four books to kickstart the post-Legends Expanded Universe – the appropriately-titled A New Dawn, which will show how Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla meet, setting the stage for the Rebels TV series; Tarkin, a character study of the life and times of one of the Empire’s most infamous leaders; Heir To The Jedi, which sets Luke Skywalker on a quest to learn the ways of the Jedi on his own and escort to a female companion; and Lords Of The Sith, which features Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine on a mission to crush an insurrection and subsequently escape from an inhospitable planet. Advance copies of A New Dawn are supposed to appear in plentiful quantity at the convention, with excerpts from Tarkin, Heir To The Jedi, and Lords Of The Sith. It’s a definite must-have for any Star Wars fan lucky enough to go to the convention.

 

It’s not clear as to whether or not Del Ray will announce any new titles at the convention, and the publishing both Heir To The Jedi and Lords Of The Sith have recently been delayed by a few weeks. We’ll keep you covered once Comic Con begins.

 

UPDATE 2!

 

Remember when I said that I’d shut up about Son Of Dathomir? Well, it looks like I spoke too soon, because apparently they’re going to sell 1,000 copies of an exclusive variant cover for the first issue of that miniseries! If you ever wanted to see how bad Darth Maul’s teeth looked up close, well, this cover is tailored just for you.

 

SDCC Darth Maul Son Of Dathomir Variant Cover

Nonetheless, this does confirm my suspicion that Dark Horse is going for that last hurrah after all. Gotta give those guys credit – they’ve handled the Star Wars franchise exceptionally well from their humble beginnings with 1991’s Dark Empire, and now they’re closing off with a story arc about one of the most popular characters reintroduced into The Clone Wars. Here’s to you for an entertaining 23 years, Dark Horse. (Seriously, though. I’m pretty sure this is the last time I’ll mention the comic here. I really mean it this time.)

 

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Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

33 thoughts on “UPDATE 2! What To Expect From The Star Wars Franchise At The 2014 San Diego Comic Con!

  • June 30, 2014 at 11:16 pm
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    The captions came out weird. If you’re viewing this on a mobile device and have trouble seeing them, the first was “Mockup by YouTube user race999999.” The second was “Could we be hearing the official subtitle soon?”

    • September 20, 2014 at 10:56 pm
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      Dark horse sucked donkey balls. The art in the dark empire crap sucked. All the story’s sucked too. Happy to see dark horse gone.all that EU was crap

  • June 30, 2014 at 11:27 pm
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    I want them to announce the release of the unaltered Star Wars Trilogy on Blu Ray.

    • June 30, 2014 at 11:29 pm
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      I think that could happen eventually, but as of right now, Fox has the rights to the Original Trilogy. Working that out could be a bit of a hassle for Disney, but there definitely is a market for it.

    • July 3, 2014 at 5:19 pm
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      If they can work out all of the rights with FOX, then I think they are going to release the Original Versions on BluRay to coincide with the release of Episode 7 next year. Think about it, all of the Episode 7 promotion is going to be around Luke, Leia and Han, so that would be the perfect time to release the REAL versions they were involved in that came out from 1977-83.

      • July 3, 2014 at 9:11 pm
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        What’s to work out on the rights?

        The 2000 VHS re-re-re-release (the last VHS set released) of the Star Wars OT, on Episode 4 A New Hope the rights switched from FOX to Lucasfilm. The reason behind all this is explained in an article/book called The Secret History of Star Wars. Basically Lucasfilm got ownership of the rights to Episode 4, cuz Fox wanted to release Episodes 1-3 under the FOX banner. Every release prior to this credited FOX for the rights….

        Even on the 2011 Blu-ray box set, Episode 4 A New Hope is copyright….Lucasfilm. Since 2000 Lucasfilm has owned the copyrights to ALL 6 Star Wars films.

        So there really is no issue with the rights….make no mistake Fox Has Distribution rights until 2020, that’s all.

        Will we ever see the original trilogy unaltered on Blu-ray? I am sure George took care of all of that in the contract with Disney.

  • June 30, 2014 at 11:36 pm
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    I’m really looking forward to the Marvel Comics and the Star Wars Toy reveals m/

    I highly doubt that we will see any type of teaser trailer for Episode 7.

  • July 1, 2014 at 12:13 am
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    I would love to see a sound-and-logo-only initial teaser with Guardians of the Galaxy.

  • July 1, 2014 at 12:32 am
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    I wonder what type of television coverage we will see for SDCC. Since G4 is gone there really hasn’t been anyone to take up the slack.

    With Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers 2 and SW7 on the horizon maybe one of the Disney channels with have some coverage.

  • July 1, 2014 at 12:52 am
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    The announcement for the title of Episode VII would be fantastic.

    • July 1, 2014 at 4:12 am
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      I wouldn’t hold your breath for a title announcement….

      • July 1, 2014 at 10:16 pm
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        I wouldn’t hold your breath either.

  • July 1, 2014 at 4:47 am
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    There should be new Del Rey Star Wars novels anounced at SDCC for 2015 and beyond including who will write the Episode VII novelization and lead-in novels to Episode VII and bridge novels between Episodes VII and VIII and VIII ans IX.

    THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SOME SW NOVELS ANNOUNCED AT SDCC!! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?

    • July 1, 2014 at 6:39 am
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      Woah, calm down, buddy. I wasn’t aware of that. Allow me to fix this.

  • July 1, 2014 at 8:05 am
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    I don’t think they’ll be anything on the episode 7, perhaps about Harrison Ford’s leg, and perhaps casting?.

    What I do think is gonna be showen is more stuff on SW Rebels, Battlefront game and comics/novels.

    Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers 2 and other Disney movies coming in a few months. We’ll see more trailers.

    Star wars land updates? Very doubtful…

    This is all I see happening there!

    • July 3, 2014 at 3:34 pm
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      I’m with you on the casting announcement. I think they’ve held back a name or two just so they could announce it at this convention.

  • July 1, 2014 at 5:39 pm
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    I’m more concerned about SWCelebration, which until now, has always coincided with the release of a film. As things stand now, we will have attended an event designed to excite and enlighten us,…and then have to wait a further EIGHT months before seeing said film.

  • July 1, 2014 at 6:08 pm
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    [Spoiler Caution]

    A colleague of mine who works for Kasdan’s proco. (and whom I trust) says the title is “The Shadow Heir'”. I don’t know what the significance of that is, since I don’t follow Star Wars, but it may have also have been a working title.

    • July 1, 2014 at 8:13 pm
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      Whether it’s real or not, it beats “The Ancient Fear” by miles.

      • July 1, 2014 at 9:17 pm
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        I kind of like The Ancient Fear ; sounds SWzy enough. Though TSH (if true) makes a lot of sense, especially if they’re going the rumored missing offspring route.

        • July 1, 2014 at 11:33 pm
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          It’s not a bad title, it’s just that I can’t picture anyone saying it without speaking in a Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain’s voice. Or the voice of The Fear from Metal Gear Solid 3.

          “Coming soon… The Ancient… FEEEEEEAAAAAAR!”

          • July 3, 2014 at 9:10 pm
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            I can hear the title “The Shadow Heir” in a melodramatic and over-the-top radio voice just as easily…I like the sound of the title “An Ancient Fear”. NOT “The Ancient Fear”. “AN Ancient Fear”. Think about it. Episode I begins with the word “The”, Episode IV begins with the word “A”, now Episode VII shall begin with the word “An”! Make it so, JJ!

    • July 3, 2014 at 9:18 pm
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      The Shadow Heir….sounds like Darth Mauls returning to the big screen to me.

    • July 4, 2014 at 5:55 am
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      The Shadow Fear kinda fits with the titles….Episode 1 phantom menace episode 4 a new hope.

  • July 1, 2014 at 10:07 pm
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    Something also to maybe bear in mind is that Disney had enough footage from literally the first fortnight of shooting to put together the full Guardians of the Galaxy trailer they showed at last year’s SDCC…

    • July 1, 2014 at 11:28 pm
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      Excellent news. However, I don’t think the trailer was released to the public until later. Hopefully, if they include a trailer, it won’t be all hush-hush.

  • July 3, 2014 at 4:06 pm
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    Hey, I’ll hear nothing against Jaxxon. Or Don Wan Quixote. Or Fenn Shysa. Or anyone else.

    • July 3, 2014 at 8:53 pm
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      I used Jaxxon as a throwaway joke more than anything. I know that some of the stories they made were supposed to be really good, it’s just that Jaxxon was basically Jar Jar before Jar Jar.

  • July 3, 2014 at 4:40 pm
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    Why don’t they ever show Maul in the cafeteria, calmly eating a hamburger?

  • July 3, 2014 at 6:51 pm
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    I P Freely

  • July 3, 2014 at 7:15 pm
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    The dawn of the planet of the light sapers

  • July 3, 2014 at 11:26 pm
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    “A New Threat”

  • July 4, 2014 at 3:33 am
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    “Abrams’s own estimate in a French interview was that the movie would be filmed over the course of three months or so, and filming began back in April.”

    Faster! More intense!!

Comments are closed.

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