The Hobbit at SDCC 2012

Next Wednesday, the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con starts where Hollywood comes out for the geeks to promote their upcoming movies and television shows. The schedule is finally up for this year and the highlights include a 10th Anniversary panel for Firefly (oddly without any of the ladies attending), Iron Man 3 and The Hobbit. TV Shows, both new and current are also represented including Warehouse 13, Psych, Merlin and so forth. Comics, cartoons and toys are also represented but can get lost of the all the noise for the more famous events.

The Hobbit will have two panels. One is fan specific panel hosted by The One Ring Thursday morning. The other is the official panel from Warner Bros on Saturday. The 2 and half hour panel shares its time with Pacific Rim and Man of Steel so exactly when the Hobbit portion starts and how long it lasts is unknown. Since Director Peter Jackson, writer Phillipa Boyens, Andy Serkis (Gollum, 2nd unit director), Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Richard Armitage (Thorin), and possibly Guillermo del Toro (initial director, pre-production design) might be on hand, hopefully the movie will get a lion's share of the time. Below is the Hobbit related panels and descriptions. The full schedule is here.

Thursday July 12th
10:15-11:15 TheOneRing.net: The Truth About The Hobbit — The Hobbit movie is imminent just at the book turns 75. With on-set visits, intrepid reporting, and the pulse of fans worldwide, the TORn staff shred rumors, answer questions, share New Zealand images-but not as part of the official publicity machine. Also featuring a special visual presentation from Weta Workshop and an account of Fandalf traveling the world and (all that is the tip of the iceberg!). Featuring Cliff Broadway (Ringers: Lord of the Fans) and Larry D. Curtis (Hobbit embedded reporter) and additional staff and guests. Room 6DE

Saturday July 14th
2:30-5:00 Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Preview Their Upcoming Lineups The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Jackson returns to Middle-earth in an adventure that begins 60 years before the events depicted in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The first of two films adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's enduringly popular masterpiece, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows titular Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who-along with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and a band of 13 Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)-is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. The film's ensemble cast includes Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, and Andy Serkis as Gollum.