Despite Lucasfilm Being a No-Show, Star Wars at Comic-Con@Home
Lucasfilm isn’t officially attending this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, a fact that’s readily visible from the event line up. But hey, Comic-Con@Home is free, and a lot more relaxed than bustling through tens of thousands of people.
What can you expect? Various panels touch on the concept art, visualization, and gadgets of The Mandalorian. Sharing their Star Wars experience on an array of different panels are an executive, some authors, audio book narrators, Spanish dubbers, poster artists, and toy designers.
Friday, July 24
Pixel Stories – Reimagining Video Game Narrative (10 to 11 am)
Ever wanted to go behind-the-scenes on storytelling for games? Meet the industry’s most innovative writers working on today’s fan-favorite video games in this exclusive virtual Comic-Con panel! Take a closer look into their creative writing process, character development, world-creation, and production to hear how it’s all done. Learn from Aaron Contreras (Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order), Clay Murphy (Control), Amelia Gray (Telling Lies), Jennie Kong (Sky) as they chat with moderator John Wie. (Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences) about their approach to narrative in blockbuster and indie games.
The Mandalorian and His Many Gadgets (10 at 11 am)
Daniel J. Glenn (podcast producer), Dr. Michael Dennin (science expert: ancient aliens, Star Wars tech), and Ben Siepser (bio-engineer) of the podcast Fascinating Gadgets, Gizmos, and Gear-Based Technologies explore the science behind the various tools Mando uses to secure his bounties. From tracking fobs and jetpacks, to wrist rockets and flamethrowers, they will examine the most well-equipped bounty hunter in the galaxy.
Entertainment is Female: a Conversation with Hollywood Executives (11 am to noon)
From the companies that brought you Transformers, the LEGO movies, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Walking Dead, Lumberjanes, and Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker, women executives discuss how they are pushing for female representation in Hollywood while adapting comics and games to the big screen. Moderator Tiffany Smith (actress and presenter), along with panelists Jeannette Francis (Bad Robot), Mette Norkjaer (BOOM! Studios), Grey Cusack (Entertainment One), Aubrey Lee (Lord Miller), Nikki Baida (Lord Miller), and Sam Crawley (Skybound Entertainment) will partake in a talk about the film and television industry.
Star Wars Audiobooks: Doctor Aphra (11 am to noon)
Get the inside scoop on the newest Star Wars Audiobook Original, Doctor Aphra, from inception to the incredible finished product performed by a full cast. You’ll hear from audiobook narrators Marc Thompson and Emily Woo Zeller, author Sarah Kuhn, and Del Rey editor Elizabeth Schaefer as they discuss this adaptation of the critically acclaimed Marvel comics series where Dr. Aphra teams up with Darth Vader, in a conversation moderated by audiobook producer Nick Martorelli.
Lucasfilm Publishing: Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away (noon to 1 pm)
Some of the biggest and best Star Wars authors talk about some of their exciting new projects set in a galaxy far, far away. Featuring Timothy Zahn, Alex Segura, Justina Ireland, George Mann, Preeti Chhibber, Tom Angleberger, Rebecca Roanhorse, Greg Pak, and Alyssa Wong. Moderated by This Week In Star Wars host Kristin Baver and Lucasfilm Publishing senior editor Robert Simpson.
Mattel Creations: Designing Pop Culture (1 to 2 pm)
Mattel’s Richard Dickson (president) and moderator Chris Down (chief design officer) discuss the behind-the-scenes process of what goes into designing iconic toys for today’s pop-culture fans while introducing the world to the all-new platform, Mattel Creations. The Q&A panel will feature Mattel designers and creatives from dynamic brands including Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story, Universal’s Jurassic Park, Microsoft’s Halo, WWE and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars, to examine the collaborative journey that goes into creating Con exclusives, toys and art inspired by 75 years of Mattel pop-culture influence.
The Psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars (2 to 3 pm)
Back by popular demand, the Trek vs Wars discussion returns to Comic-Con in Episode VI, with examinations of Discovery, Picard, and, of course, Rise of Skywalker! Designed to engage the audience in a healthy–but fun–debate, this panel explores meaningful topics of psychology prominent in Star Trek & Star Wars. Who’s more emotionally intelligent, Picard or Luke? How do hero characters Rey and Burnham show us healthy coping and self-care? And what’s the importance of legacy when it comes to saving the universe? Join pop culture psychologists Dr. Drea Letamendi (Lattes with Leia) and Dr. Ali Mattu (The Psych Show) as they enlist the persuasive viewpoints of special guests Todd Stashwick (Star Trek: Enterprise), and Jennifer Muro (Star Wars: Forces of Destiny). Moderated by Brian Ward (The Arkham Sessions).
Remote Real-Time: The Age of Virtual Production (4 to 5 pm)
Meet the pioneering team from Halon Entertainment (The Mandalorian, The Batman, Logan, Ford v Ferrari, Borderlands 3, God of War, and the soon to be released, Free Guy) as their executive and creatives discuss virtual production, the impact of COVID-19, and the challenges of transitioning to a completely remote workforce, as well as how Hollywood can proceed with production during the pandemic utilizing real-time workflows.
Saturday, July 25
Concept Artists of Television and Film: #drawingwhileblack (4 to 5 pm)
Concept artists Marco Nelor (concept artist, HBO’s Watchmen, Mortal Combat X, Army of the Dead), Michael Uwandi (concept artist, Star Trek: Picard, Supergirl, The Mandalorian), Phillip Boutte Jr. (costume concept artist, Black Panther, Masters of the Universe, Jungle Cruise), Raphael Phillips (concept artists, Jupiter’s Legacy, Black Panther, Red Dead Redemption), discuss the process behind creating concept art for some of the most exciting productions in the music, television, and film, while touching on what its like to be #drawingwhileblack.
Sunday, July 26
Adventures in Spanish Voice Acting (11 am to noon)
Estimates place the Latin American dubbing market at 450 million consumers, and Mexico produces 65% of it. As entertainment providers look to profit in that area, they face the challenge of publishing in neutral Spanish to serve all countries equally. Hear the stories from Mexican voice actors Cristina Hernández (Catwoman/Selina Kyle, Padme Amidala), Sebastián Llapur (Darth Vader, Daffy Duck), and Claudia Motta (Bart Simpson, Pikachu) about the different obstacles they’ve had to overcome to become successful in this industry, and how Mexico is changing the way dubbing is done in Latin America. Hugo A. Castro (Gamacon founder and CEO) will moderate.
The Art of Film and TV Posters (3 to 4 pm)
ASIFA-Hollywood and famed illustrators who have worked on entertainment art for the last 50 years will discuss their craft and what inspired them to pick up the baton and follow in the footsteps of their mentors. Join moderator Paul Shipper (Avengers: Infinity War), and panelists Steve Chorney (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Robert Rodriguez (The Jewel of the Nile), James Goodridge (Deadpool), Greg Hildebrandt (Star Wars), William Stout (Wizards, s ), Akiko Stehrenberger (Kiss of the Damned), Rory Kurtz (Baby Driver), and Drew Struzan (Back to the Future).
World-Builders: The Evolution of Immersive Entertainment (3 to 4 pm)
The hunger for unique content and the current challenges global content creators face to establish safe production solutions have pushed technology to evolve. Join the creative drivers who are introducing remarkable virtual production and content creation solutions in projects like Lion King and The Mandalorian; Isabelle Riva (head of media and entertainment innovations, Unity Technology), Ted Schilowitz (futurist, Paramount Pictures), Emilie Jolie (co-founder & CEO Apelab – Zoe in-VR Creation Software), Brooks Brown (co-founder & CCO, ViRvi–Bringing Virtual Reality to Art), Kwaku Aning (director, Center for Innovation and Entreprenaurial Thinking – CIET), and Asad Malik (founder 1RIC, Jadu AR app). Moderated by David Bloom (Forbes). You can check out experiences from these companies virtually in the FutureTechLive! activation space, powered by Unity.