No, Johnny Depp & Ridley Scott Won't Be At Hyde's Hall H SDCC Panel

So it's a sequel. And a remake. Nothing wrong with either, but it's weird to lead with the idea that it's not, right? Anyway, this is the Hyde comic book from Mechanical Cake, written by Jesse Negron and Joe Matsumoto, drawn by Gary Erskine and Chris Weston, edited by Dave Elliott, and launching at San Diego Comic-Con this week. I ran a piece on it yesterday and got shouted at for using what they called an "unapproved, unauthorised" image of Hyde that Mechanical Cake had forgotten they had released for me to run months ago. The press release continued;

"Now unencumbered by interruptions from his alter ego, Hyde can finally freely explore his dark tendencies with uninhibited abandon. The 2-volume graphic novel series finds Mr. Hyde in his new domain, the sewers beneath London, where he experiments on others, using the corrupting serum to create even more "Hydes." Each volume in the series will contain two chapters with over two hundred pages. Johnny Depp will have input on all aspects of the property and create the character of Hyde.

"To build within the world of Robert Louis Stevenson's masterful characters and to be welcomed into the vision of Ridley Scott… and inexplicably having the opportunity to explore." Depp ponders. "It's surprising to me. And hopefully surprising to him. It's insane and beautiful to receive that trust from Ridley. A master."

"When Ridley Scott, with his instinct for world building, first saw the poster mockup and the concept pitch, understood the potential of Hyde, he said: "It's a no-brainer!"

"This is an incredible opportunity to build a studio-level project that goes directly from the creators to the audience, with no filters in between," said HYDE creator Negron.

"The series is written by Jesse Negron and Joe Matsumoto, edited by comic book veteran Dave Elliott, and drawn by legendary artists Gary Erskine and Chris Weston. Scott Free Senior VP Tom Moran, COO Infinitum Nihil Jason Forman, and Mechanical Cake CFO Tom Sanders will oversee the partnership.
"HYDE, like everything Mechanical Cake does, is a bit off the rails, in a good way. We execute at a whole other level. We cannot wait to unleash HYDE into the world at San Diego Comic-Con this year! We invite everyone to come by our booth, which takes you into the worlds of our graphic novel series, MODVILLE and HYDE," said Negron.

"At San Diego Comic-Con, an exclusive collectible large format HYDE ashcan (graphic novel preview), will be given to all attendees at the panel this week, HYDE: When the Worlds of Graphic Novels and Movies Collide, in Hall H on Thursday, 1:30-2:30pm. The HYDE ashcan will also be available as a free download on the Mechanical Cake website, and all SDCC attendees can drop by the HYDE booth for other collectible HYDE swag."

"The graphic novel HYDE  chapter 1 of 4, which will ship on Halloween this year, is currently available for pre-order at mechanicalcake.com, and will also be available for pre-order at the HYDE booth at San Diego Comic-Con."

Might people expect Johnny Depp and/or Ridley Scott at the Hall H panel in question? Certainly some people think so, and we got a subsequent press release note to make it clear that they won't be, stating "Johnny Depp and Ridley Scott WILL NOT be in San Diego." So there you go. Happy to make that clear. Unless, of course, they're in cosplay… I'd expect some kind of movie announcement with Jonny Depp in the lead though, after all this, wouldn't you? Here are details on the panel and the other Mechanical Cake titles coming.

Hall H, 1.30 to 2.30pm. "For Hyde: When the Worlds of Graphic Novels and Movies Collide."
"Mr. Hyde and Ridley Scott have joined forces with Mechanical Cake to build a new, original entertainment property from the ground up, Hyde, which will launch as a graphic novel series. Panelists Jesse Negron, (CEO Mechanical Cake, Hyde creator/writer), Dave Elliott, (editor-in-chief, Mechanical Cake), Tom Moran (SVP, Scott Free), Jason Forman (VP, Infinitum Nihil), and Anthony Francisco (collaborator, former Marvel Studios senior designer) will discuss how top creative talent from the graphic novel and movie worlds collaborate to bring exciting new projects directly to audiences."

Modville Volume 1, Chapter 1, will be a 120-page, colour softcover graphic novel released at San Diego Comic-Con. Modville is a Sci-Fi/Southern Gothic crime drama involving AI humans ("mods") in future New Orleans. It will feature the first chapter of Modville and also be a limited edition release before the full edition is released in 2026. Painted by Hendry Prasetya and Eko Puteh, it will have a cover by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Their third title, Nick is a foundational Yule war story, steeped within the arcane Norse legends, a very Viking version of Santa Claus. It will be launched in a similar fashion at Los Angeles Comic Con in 2026.

And expect to see more from the Double Feature Mechanical Cake anthology, from Mechanical Cake,