Major Studios Drop Out Of SDCC 2023 Amid Actor’s Strike Uncertainty

Last year’s San Diego Comic-Con delivered a number of big days thanks to announcements by the likes of Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. and more all fighting for attention. This year however, it looks like the Con is going to be on without many of its big guns as many of the biggest studios will not be attending this year’s event.

According to Variety, after making through the Covid pandemic and managing to come back in 2022 with a huge event that seemed to put the previous years well and truly in the past, one of the world’s biggest Comic-Con events is now under strain again as the studios who brought the biggest announcements to last year’s Con have already dropped out of a repeat performance. The list of those who will seemingly not be putting in an appearance includes Disney, which by proxy means Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, HBO, Sony Pictures, Universal and Netflix. In the meantime, the report suggests that Warner Bros. Discovery have not yet made a decision about appearing, but with a new DCU to promote it could be big mistake for them to miss out on the opportunity to take center stage.

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The main reason behind the mass drop-out comes down to the uncertainty in the industry right now from the WGA writer’s strike, which still seems to have no end in sight, and the possibility that the end of this month could see SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP failing to agree terms and lead to actors also being on strike by the time the SDCC arrives. With the very real prospect that studios attending the event could be left with no one to actually speak on their panels, it is not surprising to see such a lack of commitment being shown.

Related: Why the WGA Strike Hopes to Cause Monumental Shifts in the Film and Television Industry

Who Will Appear at SDCC 2023?

Marvel Studios

Currently there are still some major studios planning to bring out the big guns for SDCC’s audiences. Although Warner Bros. Discovery have not decided whether they will be bringing anything to the party, the newly branded Max is expected to deliver some news on their upcoming animated titles. This could include news on Velma season 2, so that is something to look forward to.

Elsewhere, Paramount Pictures have committed to bringing a panel for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, but there has been no word on whether there will be anything from Paramount+. NBC seem to be set for an appearance as long as an actor’s strike does not go ahead, which would likely go for their streaming arm of Peacock too, and Amazon and Apple TV+ have yet to make their intentions clear.

One thing that has been made clear is that whatever may come of an actor’s strike, the SDCC will go ahead. Spokesman David Glanzer told Variety:

“With regard to the strike and its possible effects on Comic-Con, we tend to refrain from speculation or forecasting. I will say, our hope is for a speedy resolution that will prove beneficial to all parties and allow everyone to continue the work they love. Until then, we continue to diligently work on our summer event in the hopes of making it as fun, educational, and celebratory as in years past.”

Expect to find out more about the SDCC schedules early in July, by which time the contract negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP will have reached a conclusion for better or worse.

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