Ghost Rider Site

The discerning film nerd's guide to Friday at Comic-Con

It feels like it was just yesterday I was pouring over this year's Thursday schedule at San Diego Comic-Con to put together The Discerning Film Nerd's Guide to the best programming.

Wait, that wasn't yesterday, that was like three hours ago. Boy, time sure doesn't fly when you're missing out on Comic-Con.

Anyway, Comic-Con's Friday schedule is now up as well and once again I've poured over it to bring you the most intriguing looking panels. Remember that I don't include anything from Hall H, which is a whole other beast, although I were ever going to wait in line for three hours in the hot San Diego sun behind a dude in a Chewbacca mask who smells like feet, Friday would be the day I did it. First glimpses of the "Spider-Man" reboot, Soderbergh's "Haywire," and Nicolas Cage and Neveldine/Taylor's "Ghost Rider?" I'm ready to startin hitchhiking as soon as I finish this post.

The opening page of a comic sets up everything that comes after it, for good or ill. Carla Speed McNeil ("Finder"), Jen Van Meter ("Hopeless Savages"), Greg Rucka ("Stumptown"), and moderator Douglas Wolk discuss great first pages of comics and the way they can instantly pull their audience in and establish the tone and themes of a story. Room 32AB Legendary Pictures holds its first-ever Comic-Con panel and shares an early look at some of the movies on the company's upcoming film slate. Fans will be able to access Legendary's plans, garner sneak peeks at their movies in preproduction, and hear from filmmakers and cast members from the upcoming "Pacific Rim," "Seventh Son," "Paradise Lost," and "Mass Effect." Panel participants include Jeff Bridges, Bradley Cooper, Guillermo del Toro, Ben Barnes, Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Alicia Vikander, Alex Proyas, Sergei Bodrov, Travis Beacham, Mark Protosevich, and Casey Hudson. Room 6BCF I have no idea why this panel, with that impressive roster of celebrity guests, is in Room 6BCF and not Hall H, but take advantage of it (get there early, though; there's sure to be a line). We already told you about the "Mass Effect" announcement but I'm most interested in "Pacific Rim," Guillermo del Toro's upcoming monster movie starring Hunnam and Elba, which promises kaiju battles on an epic scale. Also it's not too early to start talking about Elba's character name in that movie: Stacker Pentecost. Stacker. Pentecost. Awesome.