Double Hollywood strike forces San Diego Comic-Con to return to its roots

San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) will return to its roots this year. The double strike of screenwriters and now of actors has brought Hollywood to a halt. SDCC, one of the main film and television events of the summer, will be without panels from many of the most anticipated films and series of the upcoming years.

The first to announce its withdrawal was one of the most eagerly awaited: Marvel Studios. The Disney-owned company announced that it would not occupy the famous Hall H to present its new projects including "The Marvels," "Deadpool 3" and "Captain America: Brave New World." Nor will the company make announcements for series such as the controversial "Secret Invasion" or the long-awaited second season of "Loki."

Marvel was soon joined by other companies. Days later, Universal Pictures, HBO, Sony Pictures, Netflix and Lucasfilm, among others, announced that they would also not participate in the well-known convention. DC Studios did stay on, as new CEO James Gunn was eager to attend an event that meant so much to him. However, a few days ago, Gunn announced that the strikes by screenwriters and actors would also prevent them from attending SDCC: "I won't be there this year, but probably next year I will," he replied to a fan who asked him if he would ultimately be attending the event.

Shortly thereafter, DC Studios’ parent company, Warner Bros. Pictures (along with Legendary), also cancelled one of the most anticipated panels, "Dune Part 2," the sequel to the feature film starring Timothée Chamalet. In fact, he, Zendaya and Florence Pugh were scheduled to attend the event to promote the film. However, when the strike was called, they canceled their appearance to promote the feature film. The news was announced by The Hollywood Reporter journalist Borys Kit on Twitter:

Legendary also canceled the surprise panel it had lined up for San Diego Comic-Con attendees. The same that would serve to present one of the most anticipated films,

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" which would feature Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry.

Not long after, Amazon Studios joined in on the cancellations and announced that the second season of "Wheel of Time" would also not be present at SDCC. Along with it, other productions such as the spin-off of "The Boys," "Gen-V," would also be skipping the event, as well as "Jury Duty":

Television networks such as Fox and ABC also canceled their participation in the well-known convention. Panels from the 25th anniversary of "That's 70 Show" (Fox) and "Abbott Elementary" will also not be held at SDCC:

Those who will be present at San Diego Comic-Con

All is not lost. Some panels will indeed attend the famous Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con. One of them will be the movie "Red Sonja." Millenium Media confirmed that the first trailer of the feature film will be screened at the event. In addition, the panel will serve to celebrate the character's 50th anniversary, as reported by CBR:

Some panels from animated series are also expected. "Futurama" (which is set to return after years off the air), "American Dad!," "Family Guy," "Bob's Burgers," "The Great North," "Rick and Morty," "Invincible" and "Solar Opposites," as well as the "John Wick" spin-off, "Ballerina," the "Star-Trek Universe" special, the second season of "Good Omens" and the new installment of "What We Do in the Shadows."

Also expected to return is one of the most anticipated reunions, "The Walking Dead Universe," although it will be without participation from the cast:

SDCC spokesman David Glanzer isn't worried. According to Los Angeles Times, hotel bookings are still full, and they haven't detected any fan drop-outs for the event. For that reason, he doesn't see the studios' absence as a problem: "It's not uncommon for Marvel, and other studios, to miss Comic-Con from time to time. But we always look forward to their return in the future."