Star Wars: The Force Awakens announces Comic-Con plans

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has made a deal to appear at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 10. Pray they don’t alter the deal any further …

In the convention’s massive Hall H, Lucasfilm president and producer Kathleen Kennedy, director J.J. Abrams, writer Lawrence Kasdan, and assorted “special guests” will give fans a new glimpse of the Dec. 18 film, although the time hasn’t been specified.

A number of other panels and presentations, ranging from new Star Wars books to toys and collectibles and a tribute to pioneering special effects house Industrial Light & Magic, are also on the docket.

Here’s what Lucasfilm just announced ….

Star Wars Publishing 2015: 10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

A bestselling panel of authors will discuss their efforts to retell classic Star Wars stories for a younger generation of fans. Among the scribes will be Alexandra Bracken (the Darkest Minds series), Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grim series), Tom Angleberger (The Star Wars Origami books), and Tony Diterlizzi (The Spiderwick Chronicles) in a Q&A led by Lucasfilm’s Mike Siglain. Their work spans from novels to storybooks and craft guides, exploring the characters and tales from the original trilogy.

Star Wars Publishing 2015: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Another panel on books, although the participants haven’t been announced yet. You can guess they’ll be from this line-up of titles, with more than 20 books about the new expanded universe of Star Wars slated for this fall. The conversation will also be moderated by Siglain, with writers from Del Rey and other licensee publishers discussing their work writing new stories about the galaxy far, far way.

Hasbro Star Wars: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

TOYS! The elves from Hasbro and Lucasfilm will open up their toybox and discuss the latest playthings, revealing some new products destined to be hot commodities at holidays and kids’ birthday parties for the coming year. (Check back here to EW.com for an exclusive reveal of some new The Force Awakens toys tomorrow, June 11.)

Star Wars Collectibles Update with Lucasfilm’s Anita Castellar: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

TOYS — but for big kids! Collectible manufacturers eFX, Gentle Giant Studios, Kotobukiya, and Sideshow Collectibles will be previewing the latest Star Wars creations for fans who prefer their toys in the “look, but don’t touch” category. Among the speakers will be Anita Castellar, whom Lucasfilm describes as “a self-professed Star Wars fangirl who manages licensing for “consumer electronics, automotives, and more.

ILM 40th Anniversary: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

A tribute to the visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic, which as born in 1975 from the production of the original Star Wars. Founded by George Lucas himself, the company has continued breaking new ground in the arena of cinematic wizardry for four decades, collecting 15 Academy Awards and leading to such commercial innovations as PhotoShop, which was created by ILM Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll and his brother Thomas as a digital photo editing tool. The presentation will span its earliest days of miniature model work to today’s high-tech frontier.