Comic-Con panels 2026 bring Resident Evil, Reacher and zombies to San Diego

The Comic-Con panels 2026 circuit turned into a rapid-fire preview machine in San Diego, with stars and creators from “Resident Evil,” “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” “Reacher,” “Ghosts” and more laying out what fans can expect next, according to Variety’s studio interviews from the convention.

For horror fans, “Resident Evil” director Zach Cregger said Austin Abrams landed the role of Bryan after Cregger saw him play an offbeat addict in “Weapons.” Cregger told Variety he viewed Abrams as a strong “everyman” fit and said the new “Resident Evil” movie will share a tone with “Weapons” and “Barbarian.”

Cregger also gave an update on the Aunt Gladys prequel tied to “Weapons,” saying Oscar winner Amy Madigan is set to return. He said the story will explore how Gladys changes from an ordinary person into the figure seen in “Weapons.”

What happened at the Comic-Con panels in 2026?

On the superhero side, Jack Quaid, Alice Lee, Ishmei Sahid, Kiana Madeira and showrunners Jake Wyatt and Brendan Clogher discussed “My Adventures With Superman,” whose third season premiered June 13. Wyatt told Variety the last episodes will push characters into changed places, with Lois, Clark, Jimmy and Kara all ending the season altered from where they began.

Wyatt also said the spinoff “My Adventures With Green Lantern” has finished recording and is now in animation with South Korean partner E Nation.

The “Ghosts” team kept things festive. Utkarsh Ambudkar, Asher Grodman and Román Zaragoza said Season 6 will include Halloween and Christmas episodes, with the Christmas installment taking inspiration from Ambudkar’s favorite holiday movie, “Die Hard.” Ambudkar also floated the idea of a crossover with CBS vampire spinoff “Eternally Yours,” wondering aloud whether vampires can see ghosts.

“Eternally Yours” star Ed Weeks told Variety the show traces back to a 2019 “Dead Pilots Society” table read, years before CBS picked it up. Cast members including Weeks, Allegra Edwards, Jaren Lewison, Helen J. Shen and Parker Young described a comedy built around vampires trying to be decent while resisting the urge to eat people, with flashbacks that include a therapy session with Freud.

• “The Walking Dead: Dead City” Season 3 premiered July 26, with Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan discussing Maggie and Negan’s uneasy new cooperation.
• “Silo” will end with Season 4, which Variety reported was filmed at the same time as Season 3 and is due in summer 2027.
• “Reacher” Season 4 arrives Aug. 12, and Alan Ritchson said the new season increased the action, including more fights in the first three weeks of filming than the first three seasons combined.

Ritchson and Maria Sten also reflected on “Reacher” becoming one of Prime Video’s most-watched shows. Variety reported the series drew 350 million global viewers in 19 days.

Green Day’s movie “Nimrods” is heading to theaters Aug. 14. Writer-director Lee Kirk said he used stories from the band while shaping a fictional road-trip tale about kids trying to see Green Day, while Mike Dirnt said the film includes Easter eggs from the band’s early van-touring days.

John Cusack used Comic-Con to promote his graphic novel debut, “Monos,” made with visual artist Ignacio Noé. The book, due Sept. 29, follows two fugitives in 1972, an artifact linked to Jackie Gleason, aliens, conspiracies and Richard Nixon, according to Variety.

Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne closed out the lineup with “Heads Will Roll,” their Audible comedy whose second season arrived June 25 with guest stars including Patti LuPone, Laurie Metcalf and Carrie Coon. The sisters said they would like to see it adapted for the screen, though McKinnon noted the dragons and castles would make that a pricey job.

This story draws on original reporting from Variety.