'Breaking Dawn,' 'Drive' and 20th Century Fox's 'secret' panel make Comic-Con 2011 Thursday schedule

Comic-Con International announced Thursday, July 21 movie panel schedule for the 2011 edition of the pop culture megatest and as expected "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Pt. 2" is the major highlight of the day.  Moreover, it appears 20th Century Fox was the only major studio willing to brave the publicity onslaught the return of Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson will bring on the Con's first full day of operation. Of course, they have a good three-hour break to let attendees hearing return to normal after what is sure to be a screamfest of euphoria for the arrival of "Breaking Dawn's" cast and crew.  The convention organizers did surprise, however, with the participation of Cannes winner and critic's winner "Drive" starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Ron Pearlman and Christina Hendricks (although we're hoping Albert Brooks is a surprise guest).

The schedule for Friday the 22nd, Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th is expected to be announced over the next three days.  Comic-Con also revealed this year's TV panels for Thursday which include fan favorite "Game of Thrones." A complete rundown of the movie-centric panels are as follows.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn"
11:15-12:15
Hall H
Who: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, director Bill Condon
Lowdown: They're baaaaaaaacckkkk!  Get ready for lots of screems from teenage girls and "Twilight" moms as the fan-friendly franchise returns to Comic-Con for the third year.  Will anyone be able to hear the questions or the responses?  Your guess is as good as ours.  Plus, expect an exclusive scene or two from this November's blockbuster.

"Arthur Christmas" and "The Pirates! Bands of Misfits"
12:45-1:45
Hall H
Who: Filmmakers from the two new Sony Pictures Animation films and possibly voice actors Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Piven (unconfirmed)
Lowdown: A sneak peek from Aarman's first collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation ("Arthur") and the first look at their 3D, stop motion-animation endeavor "Pirates!"

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"
2:00-3:00
Hall H
Who: Guillermo del Toro and possibly stars Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes
Lowdown: del Toro returns to talk about his passion project, a remake of the classic TV thriller which hits theaters on Aug. 5.

"Drive"
2:00-3:00
Hall H
Who: Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman, and Christina Hendricks (TBD)
Lowdown: One of the best films of the year makes its way to Comic-Con to preview its wares to the masses.  The film debuted to raves at this year's Cannes Film Festival and will hit theaters on Sept. 16. Watch an extended clip and check out HitFix's review from the LA Film Festival here.

20th Century Fox - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and..?
3:15-4:30
Hall H
Who: James Franco, Andy Serkis and…?
Lowdown: It's no secret Fox expects to bring down footage of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," but the rest of the panel is being kept secret for now.  Could Michael Fassbender and the cast of "Prometheus" appear?  Could James Cameron display some 3D footage of "Titanic"?  Stay tuned…

Robert Rodriguez
4:45-5:45
Hall H
Who: Robert Rodriguez and special guests.
Lowdown: The "Sin City" helmer will discuss the upcoming slate of his Quick Draw Productions promises a sneak of his secret project - not the upcoming "Spy Kids 4" - with "special guest collaborators." Curious indeed.

The Visionaries: A discussion with Guillermo del Toro and Jon Favreau
6:00-7:00
Hall H
Who: Jon Favreau and Guillermo del Toro
Lowdown: Favreau is on hand for the "Cowboys and Aliens" premiere on Saturday night and del Toro returns after his "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" panel for what should be a lively Q&A on the state of pop culture.

Also, for the first time this year, Comic-Con will play back the best Q&A's from Hall H and Ballroom 20 between 8 PM - 11 PM in room 25ABC.  Footage from each panel will not be included.

Look for complete hall-to-hall coverage of Comic-Con 2011 from the entire HitFix team beginning Wednesday, July 20-Sunday, July 24.