San Diego Comic-Con 2018 Opens With 'Predator' And 'Breaking Bad'

SAN DIEGO, CA – Excitement is in the air in San Diego as the city famous for blue skies and waters prepares to welcome droves of people making their way to the mecca of Comic-Con International.

Dubbed as the world’s biggest pop-culture convention, the annual summer event kicks off Wednesday, July 18, with a Preview Night program featuring the pilot screening of Warner Bros. Television series “Manifest,” an exclusive sneak peek screening of next week’s episode of “The 100,” and the world premiere of brand-new episodes from season two of “Freedom Fighters: The Ray.”

Then, the ginormous nerd circus officially takes place from Thursday, July 19, through Sunday, July 22, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans of comics, movies, television, sci-fi, video games, anime and cosplay.

The first day of Comic-Con will see 20th Century’s “The Predator” in Hall H from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Scheduled to appear at the panel are cast members Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Trevante Rhodes, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski, Thomas Jane and Augusto Aguilera, as well as director Shane Black.

Also making big waves of anticipation this year is Sony Pictures Television’s 10th Anniversary Celebration of “Breaking Bad,” reuniting original cast to take a look back at the best moments from this groundbreaking television series and reminisce about TV’s most famous anti-hero, Walter White. Cast members Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, and Giancarlo Esposito, along with executive producer and showrunner Vince Gilligan are expected to attend the event in Hall H from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Other first-day highlights include panels of AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” YouTube’s new sci-fi thriller series “Origin," Neon’s “Assassination Nation,” Netflix’s "Marvel: Iron Fist,” and many more.

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Officials are urging the use of public transit because of the huge crowds of attendees and gawkers expected in downtown San Diego over the next few days.

A free shuttle bus service will begin operating Wednesday from 3 p.m. to midnight, stopping at 63 locations in downtown, Mission Valley, Harbor Island and Shelter Island. Buses will run 24 hours a day, beginning Thursday at 4:30 a.m. through Sunday evening.

Metropolitan Transit System announced that Green Line trolleys will run every 7 and 1/2 minutes between Qualcomm Stadium and the 12th and Imperial Transit Center between Thursday and Sunday. Blue and Orange line trains will increase in frequency during peak travel times, according to MTS.

The transit agency said passengers can use its new Compass Cloud mobile app to purchase ride tickets in advance. MTS also has 22 bus routes with downtown stops.

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