Comic-Con goes interstellar with ‘Project Hail Mary,' ‘Star Trek' updates
Saturday's biggest presentations at the pop culture extravaganza will be for 'Project Hail Mary,' which stars Ryan Gosling on an interstellar mission to save humanity, and for the next series in the 'Star Trek' franchise.
Fans are also getting a sneak peek at 'Coyote vs. ACME,' a hybrid live-action and animated project that was shelved by Warner Bros. in a cost-cutting move but will get a theatrical release in 2026.
The movie features John Cena, who is also a star of the DC series 'Peacemaker,' which will have a presentation Saturday in Comic-Con's massive Hall H.
'Project Hail Mary' is an adaptation of the book by Martin Weir, whose book 'The Martian' was adapted by Ridley Scott in 2015.
An estimated 135,000 people — many in costumes — are expected to attend Comic-Con 2025, which runs through Sunday in downtown San Diego.
So far, fans have gotten previews of 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2,'
the upcoming FX series 'Alien: Earth' and 'Predator: Badlands,' which will be in theaters in November.
'Coyote vs. Acme' coming to theaters in August 2026
Wile E. Coyote is getting his day in court – and theaters.
The stars of 'Coyote vs. Acme' delivered a rousing presentation of a movie that at one point wasn't going to be released.
The underdog story – both of the movie and Coyote – was a running theme of the panel. But rather than direct ire at Warner Bros., the real-world studio that shelved the project, the panel focused on the fictional Acme Corp.
'This is purely an Acme decision … and I am saying this for legal purposes,' moderator Paul Scheer said at the start of the panel.
The movie is a hybrid of animation and live action and is based on a 1990 New Yorker article that satirized a legal complaint filed by Coyote against Acme, the maker of the TNT, detonators, rocket shoes, catapults and other products that consistently backfire during the Coyote's fruitless attempts to catch the Roadrunner.
Laughter filled Hall H, the massive 6,000-seat venue as fans watched a montage of Coyote being blown up, flattened and falling into chasms in a scene set to Johnny Cash's cover of 'Hurt.' Coyote is replaying the moments in his lair when an ad for a personal injury lawyer appears on TV.
Monday Mornings
The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week.
They also played six minutes of the movie, including a scene of opening statements in the case in which Coyote's lawyer, Will Forte, accidentally unleashes a rocket skate into the courtroom, setting Coyote and the judge's robes on fire. John Cena plays a slick Acme lawyer who wins over the jury, which includes a cartoon character, quickly.
Forte said he didn't think the movie would ever get to audiences.
'I'm pretty speechless. You think back to the journey that this movie has taken. I had kind of given up hope at a certain point,' Forte said. At one point, his comments were interrupted by a man playing an Acme lawyer who stormed into Hall H with cease-and-desist letters.
Director Dave Green said the movie conforms to famed animator Chuck Jones' rules for the struggle between the Coyote and Roadrunner, which include the bird always staying on the road and the Coyote being ultimately more humiliated than hurt when he falls, is crushed or gets blown up by TNT.
The movie, which features cameos from numerous Looney Tunes characters like Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety and Bugs Bunny, will be released on Aug. 28, 2026. Ketchup Entertainment teamed up with Warner Bros. on the film and in the release of 'The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
George Lucas tells Comic-Con crowd his new museum will be 'a temple to the people's art'
Published Jul 27, 2025 • 3 minute read Filmmaker George Lucas speaks during the Sneak Peek of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art panel in Hall H of the convention center during Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif. on July 27, 2025. Photo by CHRIS DELMAS / AFP via Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. SAN DIEGO — George Lucas finally came to the stage at Comic-Con Sunday to an ovation from thousands, some holding light sabers in the air, with soaring 'Star Wars' music filling the room. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The 81-year-old, appearing for the first time at San Diego's pop cultural extravaganza, looked decidedly earthbound in his jeans and flannel shirt, and a bit embarrassed by the attention. The quiet, thoughtful discussion that followed about the art museum he's building stood in contrast to the sci-fi and superhero bombast that came from Comic-Con's huge Hall H in the previous three days of the convention. He's quietly passionate, though, about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, co-founded with his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson. Long in the works, the project was first announced in 2017 and is set to open its doors in Los Angeles' Exposition Park next year. 'This is sort of a temple to the people's art,' Lucas told the crowd. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The museum designed by Ma Yansong resembles a giant space cruiser, and at 300,000 square feet it's about the size of an average IKEA store. 'Star Wars' art and artifacts will be well-represented as shown in an introductory video narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. But Lucas' focus on the comic art and populist paintings are just as central to its aims. He's is one of the main collectors of the paintings of Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish, and Hobson has made a specialty of collecting the work of Black painters including Norman Lewis and Kara Walker. The panel discussion also included director Guillermo del Toro and production designer Doug Chiang, who has worked on Star Wars films since the Lucas-directed 'Star Wars' prequels in the 1990s. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rapper, singer and actor Queen Latifah, a friend of Lucas and Hobson who called herself a 'sci-fi nerd,' served as moderator and chief energizer of the panel. 'Are y'all pumped up for this museum now or what?' she shouted to the crowd at the end. The project began in part just to have a place for everything Lucas has collected since he was in college in the 1960s, when he learned original drawings from comic books and comic strips were surprisingly affordable. 'I could get an 'Alley-Oop' for $30,' Lucas said. 'I've been collecting narrative art ever since.' He owns the first drawing of Flash Gordon, original panels of 'Peanuts' comic strips complete with notes from artist Charles Schulz, and early drawings of Iron Man and Black Panther, along with original artwork for political cartoons and alternative comics. He would later move on to paintings and art from films, after the 'Star Wars' money began pouring in. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'What am I going to do with it all?' Lucas said. 'I refuse to sell it. I could never do that.' Del Toro, himself a famous hoarder of pop culture artifacts and a museum board member, said the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year came 'frighteningly close' to the collection he keeps at home. 'Now that the museum exists, a lot of it may go there,' Del Toro said. He emphasized throughout the panel the political importance of comics since their beginnings. 'Comics were the first one to punch Nazis,' Del Toro said. 'Before movies.' While unusual for the big room, the discussion was very close to the kind of talks that have constantly happened in the less flashy corners of Comic-Con for more than 50 years. Lucas is easily on the Mount Rushmore of figures whose work has had the greatest inspiration on the kind of films and other pop cultural celebrated annually in Hall H. But the convention wasn't a common showcase for blockbuster films when he was directing them himself. And he sold 'Star Wars' and Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Co. in 2012. The Lucas museum's 11-acre campus sits right next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and near several other major museums and the University of Southern California. An exact date for its opening has not been announced. Sports Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA
Toronto Star
4 hours ago
- Toronto Star
George Lucas finally comes to Comic-Con to give a preview of his new museum
SAN DIEGO (AP) — George Lucas is finally coming to the stage at Comic-Con. And while 'Star Wars' is sure to get a mention, the 81-year-old is making his debut appearance at the San Diego pop cultural extravaganza for a more earthbound reason: a preview of his long-in-the-works Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The Sunday panel discussion in Comic-Con's vaunted Hall H will act as a relatively quiet closing act to the four-day festival that brought its usual series of big, bombastic looks at upcoming sci-fi and superhero projects.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
George Lucas finally comes to Comic-Con to give a preview of his new museum
SAN DIEGO (AP) — George Lucas is finally coming to the stage at Comic-Con. And while 'Star Wars' is sure to get a mention, the 81-year-old is making his debut appearance at the San Diego pop cultural extravaganza for a more earthbound reason: a preview of his long-in-the-works Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The Sunday panel discussion in Comic-Con's vaunted Hall H will act as a relatively quiet closing act to the four-day festival that brought its usual series of big, bombastic looks at upcoming sci-fi and superhero projects. The museum-centered session is also meant to be a broader discussion of the new institution's subject matter: the histories and traditions of narrative art across time and cultures. Lucas will be joined by fellow filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and art director Doug Chiang, who has worked on a steady series of 'Star Wars' films starting with the Lucas-directed prequels in 1999. Queen Latifah will act as moderator. Lucas is easily on the Mount Rushmore of figures whose work has had the greatest inspiration on the kind of films and other pop cultural celebrated annually in Hall H at Comic-Con. But the convention wasn't a common showcase for blockbuster films when he was directing them himself. He sold 'Star Wars' and Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Co. in 2012, and Disney has used different venues to make big splashy presentations about its properties. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The museum founded by Lucas and his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson, is set to open next year in Exposition Park, near the Los Angeles Coliseum, several of the city's other museums, and the University of Southern California. The 11-acre campus and 300,000-square-foot building designed by architect Ma Yansong includes galleries, two theaters and related spaces.
