Comic-Con Intl returns to San Diego with a Friday lineup that featured the world premiere of footage from ERAGON, STARDUST and SNAKES ON A PLANE.
The 6,500-seat Hall H was the must-be-place for all the biggest panels. Kicking off the day was Warner Bros. presentation, highlighting THE REAPING, THE WICKER MAN remake, HARRY POTTER 5 and SUPERMAN RETURNS. First up was THE REAPING with stars Hilary Swank and Anna Sophia Robb, director Stephen Hopkins (PREDIATOR 2) and producer Joel Silver. Swank spoke about the research she put into developing her character, who travels the world debunking miracles. The Biblical plagues in the trailer that was screened showed off the extents of the vfx on the film. Next director Neil LaBute (IN THE COMPANY MEN) explained to crowd that his take on the cult horror classic pits women against men instead of the originals conflict between Christianity and paganism. LaBute shared a sequence from the film, featuring star Nicolas Cage as a motorcycle cop, who pulls over a mother and her daughter after the little girl drops her doll out on the highway. In a brief video segment from the set of HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Daniel Radcliff talked about the big set pieces that the fifth HARRY POTTER film has in store as well as introducing director David Yates to the crowd. Wrapping up the WB panel, SUPERMAN RETURNS director Bryan Singer showed a funny blopper reel from his latest superhero epic. Singer fielded many questions from the thankful audience before calling out special guest Richard Donner, who shared a clip from the upcoming DVD release of his version of SUPERMAN II. On the visual effects front, fans and professionals will want to be on the look out for a sequence in the film, which cut together screen tests of stars Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, creating an important scene that was never filmed.
Next in Hall H was Fox, which shared with the Comic-Con audience the trailer for the highly anticipated holiday release, ERAGON. Fans got quick glimpses of the dragon work being done for the film by ILM and Weta. Fox reps also introduced the fans to newcomer Edward Speleers, who landed the title role in the film. The young actor told the crowd that hes as excited as them for the next six months to fly by so that he can see the film as well. Following ERAGON, Fox showed the trailer and footage from the bloody Viking flick, PATHFINDER, which hits theaters in September. Director Marcus Nispel (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake) brings to the film a CONAN feel and visual sensibility. Fox closed out their time with laughs featuring the stars of RENO 911 MIAMI and BORAT, including Thomas Lennon as Lt. Jim Dangle, Ben Garant as Deputy Travis Junior and Kerri Kenney as Deputy Trudy Wiegel from RENO 911 and Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat.
Next, Paramount Pictures treated fans to some raw footage from LAYER CAKEs Matthew Vaughns adaptation of Neil Gaimans STARDUST graphic novel. Gaiman, along with illustrator Charles Vess, screenwriter Jane Goldman and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, was on hand to field questions from the crowd. Gaiman hinted that at the 2007 Comic-Con he will be returning with Angelina Jolie to promote the performance capture adaptation of his BEOWULF, which he unveiled the logo to the fans. Bonaventura actually revealed the biggest news of the day in the closing the panel with the announcement that original voice over actor Peter Cullen from the cartoon series TRANSFORMERS would be reprising his role as Optimus Prime in Michael Bays live-action adaptation of the classic cartoon series.
No time was wasted as Universal brought out HELLBOY director Guillermo del Toro to chat with his friend director Alfonso Cuaron (HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN) about Cuarons new sci-fi film CHILDREN OF MEN, which has a documentary camera style and invisible effects work from Millennium FX Ltd. Cuaron shared the new trailer and footage from the heady sci-fi tale, which deals with a future world where women can not longer have babies. Wrapping up the session after the cast of the college comedy ACCEPTED were introduced to the crowd, Peter Jackson, in a videotape interview, introduced a full sequence from the extended cut DVD of KING KONG, which will be loaded with special features as well as 13 additional minutes added to the epic tale.
For the next presentation, Hall H filled for it was time for STAR WARS. Lucasfilms head of fan relations Steve Sansweet started the presentation assuring fans that the upcoming DVD of the original versions of the original STAR WARS trilogy are the best quality available. Fans were even treated to bright blue buttons that declared in Sept. Han shoots first. However, fans were disappointed that Sansweet had no footage to share of the upcoming CG CLONE WARS series, which is being produced at Skywalker Ranch and Lucasfilm Animation in Singapore. However, he promises that the series is like no other CG series fans have ever seen on TV and announced that at Star Wars Celebration in Los Angeles over the 2007 Memorial Day weekend there will be footage to show. Before Sansweet fielded questions from the crowd, he previewed the new LEGO STAR WARS game, previs work on a new STAR WARS game that utilizes the Force to its full potential and the latest INDIANA JONES game that is powered by a next-gen AI system that teaches character to react to their environment, making the animation original each time an action is performed.
So how can anyone follow STAR WARS? New Line screened 10 minutes from the phenomenon that is SNAKES ON A PLANE, packing Hall H to the brim. But first host Kenan Thompson highlighted next weeks DVD release of FINAL DESTINATION 3 with director James Wong and stars Ryan Merriman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The DVD is a special release that will allow fans to choice their own paths during the course of the film, altering the deaths of the various characters. Next fans were treated to a video intro from Jack Black and Kyle Gass setting up a hilarious clip from their upcoming fall film, TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY. Then fans got what they came for SNAKES ON A PLANE. Director David R. Ellis (CELLULAR) first treated the fans to some of the reptilian stars of the film, before introducing mega-star Samuel L. Jackson.
For the visual effects community, there are a lot of fantasy, sci-fi and horror films coming in the next few years that will push the envelope in the f/x world. Tomorrows panels should add to the list of must see films.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
