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During the strike, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members are prohibited from participating in any form of promotion of their upcoming films, TV shows and other projects. This includes attending SDCC.
San Diego Comic-Con is known to be one of the most epic annual pop culture events, full of A-list appearances, trailer releases and first looks, exciting announcements and more. However, SDCC looks very different this year because of the Hollywood strike.
SAG-AFTRA went on strike on July 14th, effectively shutting down Hollywood as they joined the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in protesting what they say are unfair wages and treatment. This is the first time in 60 years the two unions have protested at the same time, with both SAG and WGA battling against AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers).
During the strike, SAG-AFTRA and WGA members are prohibited from participating in any form of promotion of their upcoming films, TV shows and other projects. This includes attending SDCC.
The convention -- which takes place at the San Diego Convention Center -- kicked off on Thursday, and runs throughout the weekend. And while there won't be as much star power as in previous years, comic book and pop culture fans around the world still flocked to San Diego, with a reported 135,000 people expected to attend, per ABC 7.
Another famous component of Comic-Con that has remained unchanged? The absolutely epic cosplay, with fans dressing up as their favorite comic book, TV show, film, and video game characters. See all of the head-turning cosplay in the gallery, above!
Meanwhile, the famous Hall H -- where popular star-studded panels take place -- is usually completely full, with thousands of more fans lining up outside. However, due to the strike, and lack of presence from major studios, this year is a different story. Well, at least on Comic-Con Day 1, according to TheWrap. It's unclear if more fans will flock to Hall H throughout the weekend, but since there is only one single movie studio to have a panel in Hall H -- Paramount, which debuted footage from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem -- it seems unlikely.
With less focus on TV and film at the convention this year, there appears to be more stress on video games, robots and technology, and comics, which of course, is what Comic-Con is really all about.
