San Diego Comic-Con 2018: What to expect

July 17 (UPI) -- Thousands of people are expected to dress up as their favorite characters to roam the halls of the San Diego Convention Center this week for the 2018 edition of San Diego Comic-Con.

Widely regarded as the largest, annual pop-culture extravaganza in the United States, the event dates back to 1970. The latest incarnation is scheduled to begin Thursday and will run through Sunday.

The program will include celebrity panel discussions about comic books, films, television shows, video games and virtual-reality experiences, as well as sneak-preview screenings of highly anticipated projects, cast reunions and expert lectures with titles such as Dinosaurs vs. Unicorns, Beyond Wakanda: Intersectional Afrofuturism, Living in a Post-Toys 'R' Us World: Navigating the Future of Toy Retail, How to Be a Nerd for a Living: Breaking into Careers in Geek Culture and The Women of Marvel.

Among the highlights of the four-day event are:

Thursday

The Predator director Shane Black and cast members Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Trevante Rhodes, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski, Thomas Jane and Augusto Aguiliera will talk about Fox's alien horror film.

The CW will screen the first episode of the Charmed re-boot and the new show's stars Melonie Diaz, Sarah Jeffery, Madeleine Mantock and Rupert Evans, along with producers Jennie Snyder Urman, Jessica O'Toole and Amy Rardin, will be on hand to answer questions about it.

BBC America's Doctor Who panel will officially introduce Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor, and Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill as her sidekicks, for next season.

Interstellar and The Dark Knight trilogy filmmaker Christopher Nolan will interview 2001: A Space Odyssey stars Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood about the classic movie, which turns 50 this year.

Nickelodeon is bringing fresh footage to share from its new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. After it screens, voice actors Omar Miller, Ben Schwartz, Josh Brener, Brandon Smith, Kat Graham and Eric Bauza will dish about their performances.

Anything Goes with John Barrowman! is a one-man show starring actor, author and entertainer John Barrowman, who is famous for his roles in Arrow and Torchwood.

Syfy will offer a sneak peek at Nightflyers, a futuristic, psychological thriller from the mind of Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin. Expected to participate in a panel are executive producers Jeff Buhler, Gene Klein and David Bartis, and stars Eoin Macken, Gretchen Mol, David Ajala, Jodie Turner-Smith and Angus Sampson.

Better Call Saul castmates Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Michael Mando, and Giancarlo Esposito are slated to join executive producers/showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould to preview the fourth season of the Breaking Bad prequel.

Speaking of Breaking Bad... The stars of that former show -- Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, R.J. Mitte, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, Odenkirk and Esposito, along with series creator Gilligan -- are to reunite and reminisce about the series that started the franchise a decade ago.

CBS will screen the first episode of its 2018 re-boot of the detective drama Magnum, P.I. Jay Hernandez, who takes over the role of Thomas Magnum from Tom Selleck, and Perdita Weeks, who will play his partner Juliet Higgins, will drop by for a chat.

Bill Skarsgård, Suki Waterhouse and Hari Nef, as well as the Russo brothers and director Sam Levinson, are scheduled to discuss their big-screen, teen-angst thriller Assassination Nation.

The New York cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine -- which is moving from Fox to NBC for its sixth season in 2019 -- is getting its own panel, too. Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller are confirmed to participate.

My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creators Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna will say goodbye to The CW relationship dramedy as it enters its fourth and final season.

Harry Treadaway, Jharrel Jerome, Jack Huston, Holland Taylor, Justine Lupe and Breeda Wool are slated to offer a first look at Season 2 of the AT&T AUDIENCE original series Mr. Mercedes, which is based on a horror story by Stephen King.

Friday

Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day and Maurissa Tancharoen will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their popular web series, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Representatives from AMC's hit genre dramas Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead and Preacher are also to take part in panels throughout the day. Confirmed to attend are Colman Domingo, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Lennie James, Danay Garcia, Garret Dillahunt, Maggie Grace, Jenna Elfman, Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.

History channel is sending cast members Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen, Alexander Ludwig, Alex Høgh Andersen, Georgia Hirst and creator/writer Michael Hirst to tease the second half of the show's fifth season.

Stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Mary Wiseman, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Mary Chieffo and Anson Mount, and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin, will re-cap Season 1 of CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery and hint at what lies ahead for the crew in Season 2.

Filmmakers and actors from some of Universal and Sony's most-anticipated films are also expected to appear at showcases organized by their respective studios, but precise details about the panels are being kept under wraps.

Universal is promoting M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable sequel Glass, starring James McAvoy, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, and Halloween, which was directed by David Gordon Green and boasts the return of scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis.

Sony is previewing its Tom Hardy-led, live-action Marvel movie Venom and animated adventure Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment are hosting the world premiere screening of the cartoon feature The Death of Superman. A panel with the film's voice actors -- Jerry O'Connell, Rebecca Romijn, Jason O'Mara and Christopher Gorham -- is slated to follow.

Saturday

Ted Danson and Kristen Bell will join The Good Place creator Michael Schur in a conversation about their afterlife-themed sitcom, which will begin its third season this fall.

Cress Williams and his Black Lightning co-stars China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin "Krondon" Jones III, Damon Gupton and James Remar will give a glimpse into Season 2. Representatives from their fellow CW superhero shows Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash and DC's Legends of Tomorrow will also be partaking in panels at the convention Saturday.

John C. McGinley, Janet Varney, Nate Mooney, Deborah Baker Jr. and executive producer Dana Gould are confirmed to preview Season 3 of IFC's horror comedy Stan Against Evil.

Fox is bringing in the stars and creative teams of its comedies The Simpsons, Family Guy and The Orville, as well as its mutant family drama The Gifted, for the day. Confirmed panel participants for these shows include Matt Groening, Al Jean, Tress MacNeille, Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mike Henry, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Matt Nix, Jeph Loeb, Stephen Moyer, Sean Teale, Jamie Chung, Emma Dumont, Blair Redford, Natalie Alyn Lind and Skyler Samuels.

Filmmaker and entertainer Kevin Smith is to take the stage to chat about his extensive career and love for all things comic book-related.

An event billed as Twin Peaks and the Revival of a Cult Classic is to include appearances by the David Lynch-created franchise's alum Mädchen Amick, Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn, Kimmy Robertson, Harry Goaz, James Marshall, Adele Rene, Chrysta Bell, Nicole LaLiberte, John Pirruccello, Amy Shiels, George Griffith and Sabrina Sutherland.

Sunday

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is planning the world premiere of Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost for the final day of SDCC. The mystery-comedy flick features the vocal talents of celebrity chefs such as Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and Marcus Samuelsson. Set for the post-screening talkback are the Scooby-Doo franchise's regular voice actors Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Matthew Lillard and Kate Micucci.

Fans of Riverdale -- The CW's dark, contemporary adaptation of the Archie Comics series -- will be treated to a special video presentation and question-answer session with the cast whose ensemble includes K.J. Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Marisol Nichols, Ashleigh Murray, Luke Perry, Mark Consuelos, Casey Cott and Skeet Ulrich.

Creator Noah Hawley, along with executive producers John Cameron and Marvel's Jeph Loeb, and some cast members will talk about Season 3 of FX's Legion. The show about a group of extraordinarily gifted people stars Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza, Jean Smart and Rachel Keller.