To say that the Paramount panel was filled with lots of delicious surprises would be a serious understatement, and though it’s still early in the weekend, I think it’s safe to say that the studio delivered a solid presentation.
“Hot Rod” (guests: Andy Samberg, Jorma Talcome and Akiva Schaffer)
Since I had already seen the film at a word of mouth screening earlier this month, I was less interested in the “exclusive” clip (a blatant parody of sports training montages like “Footloose” and “Gymkata”) the Lonely Island Boys brought with them than the Q&A that followed. Aside from Samberg’s expected antics (i.e. giving the microphone a blowjob and making funny faces in the monitor), the Boys also talked about making the jump from internet shorts to feature films, as well the origins of “Dick in a Box.” Here are some highlights from the panel:
*Comic-Con regular Bob Stencil stepped up to the mic for the first question by asking where they got the idea for “Dick in a Box,” because he tried it and his girlfriend sent it back. Samberg’s response? “You should’ve put a return address on it.”
*Jorma Talcone went on to explain that the idea for the short came from “an old thing [him] and [his] grandma used to do.” Not exactly an image you should let slip into your mind, like, ever.
“Stardust” (guests: Neil Gaiman and Jane Goldman)
The “Stardust” panel was regrettably less entertaining. And loud. Very loud. I appreciate exclusive clips just as much as the next, but when it feels like the footage is being shown with several THX systems blasting at your ear drums, well, it’s enough to cause loss of hearing, and I came dangerously close. The movie itself looks pretty darn cool, and early buzz is drawing comparisons to Rob Reiner’s “The Princess Bride.” And honestly, if there’s one fantasy movie in the past twenty years that has earned the respect of just about everyone I know, it’s “Princess Bride.”
The clip in question took place about twenty minutes into the film, and though we got a good chance to see Michelle Pfeiffer in action as the movie’s villainous witch, there weren’t many other revelations. No Bob DeNiro, and no Ricky Gervais. On top of that, the only panelists available were producer Neil Gaiman and writer Jane Goldman. The pair talked a bit about the differences between the graphic novel and the film (which Gaiman claims are like two separate entities), the expanded role of the DeNiro’s character, and the possibility of Gaiman’s classic “Sandman” ever getting the big screen treatment. Gaiman seems to believe that the possibility is greater with each passing year, but I’m not holding my breath.
“Beowulf” (guests: Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary)
For members of the press, this was an unnecessary rehash of Wednesday night, but on a much smaller scale. For starters, the previewed trailer was only of the 2D version, and the Q&A session didn’t reveal anything new. Check out the previous post here for more.
“Sweeney Todd” (guests: none)
With no panelists in attendance, this part of the program was for one purpose and one purpose only, the big reveal of the exclusive Comic-Con mini poster from the upcoming Tim Burton musical. The poster in question features Johnny Depp looking very Bride of Frankenstein while leaning back in a barber chair holding a shaving knife. The image alone is with worth getting excited over, but it’s a shame the studio couldn’t offer anything more.
“1-18-08” (guests: JJ Abrams)
Codenamed “Cloverfield,” the Comic-Con audience wasn’t expecting much from the hush-hush Bad Robot monster project, but we were at least expecting Abrams to give us a title. Instead, all we got was yet another poster reveal, as well as the promise of a monster made exclusively for Americans to call their own. Apparently, King Kong isn’t cool enough, and though we’ve tried our best at importing “Godzilla” throughout the years, it’s come at the expense of absolute embarrassment. That doesn’t make me trust Abrams any less, however, and I can’t wait to find out what this freaking thing looks like.
“The Spiderwick Chronicles” (guests: Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi, Phil Tippet and Mark Waters)
Here we go again: another kid’s fantasy movie. Those were my thoughts going into this panel about the adaptation of the popular children’s novel, but after sitting through a series of concept art, animation tests and even an early teaser trailer for the film, I have to say that it looks more promising than I originally expected. Special effects master Phil Tippet dominated the discussion with his expertise on the creation of the goblins and other various monsters that appear throughout the movie, and if he weren’t such a prick I probably would have enjoyed the presentation a little more.
“Drillbit Taylor” (guests: Judd Apatow and Steven Brill – via video)
Another one of those movies that didn’t quite seem to fit with the Comic-Con spirit, “Drillbit Taylor” is the latest from comedy genius Judd Apatow. Unfortunately, neither Apatow nor director Steven Brill were able to appear in person, but they did send a trailer for the new film accompanied with a hilarious intro. After explaining what the movie was about, Apatow decided he should spice it up with a Comic-Con rendition:
“This is a story about the kids getting bullied by these evil elves where they go to school, at a magic school, where the learn magic, and also learn to connect with the dead. They hire Owen Wilson, who is half-angel, and is also half-robot. It’s very funny, and very scary. It’s budget was $280 million, and Michael Bay did second unit on it.”
“Iron Man” (guests: Jon Favreau – via video)
After the “Iron Man” panel was moved to Saturday as part of the Marvel Studios presentation, all people were expecting today was a quick message from director Jon Favreau to whet our appetites for the events to come. He offered a quick greeting and then showed off some “early animation tests,” which ended up being a clip of an old “Iron Man” cartoon from the ’70s. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Favreau appeared on stage with a video camera declaring that he wanted to catch the audience’s reaction and put it up on YouTube. In all seriousness, the visit was a welcome surprise, but when he announced that he’d be showing off early footage of the movie, well, everybody went absolutely nuts. And for good reason too.
The footage (which was a mash-up trailer of full scenes and small bits of action) was simply amazing. It starts off with Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr. in what might be one of his best roles of his career) announcing to a small group of high ranking military officers and press that the best weapon isn’t one that never has to be fired, but rather one “you only have to fire once. That’s how America does it.” The trailer (rocking away to what else but “Iron Man”) then continues to show how Stark is captured and builds the Mark I prototype suit while kept hostage in an Afghani cave. We get to see the Mach 1 in action (flamethrowers!), as well as the final red-and-gold Mark III armor (flying!), and boy does it look good. Scratch that: it looks fucking awesome. This is the next “Spider-Man” folks, so you better catch up on your “Iron Man” lore before the film launches in May.
“Indiana Jones 4” (guests: Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen – via live satellite)
Here’s another panel that the Comic-Con crowd wholly expected to be pretty disappointing, and unfortunately, it was. Steven Spielberg greeted everyone from the set of “Indiana Jones and the… (mumble mumble),” quickly stating that he’s happy to be back making another Indy movie, and that this time it would be for the fans. Harrison Ford joined the festivities shortly after, along with co-stars Ray Winestone, Shia LaBeouf and (surprise surprise) the return of Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood. There wasn’t a whole lot more other than some major teasing and I don’t expect a full trailer to be released until December at the very earliest.
“Star Trek” (guests: JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Zachary Quinto and more)
This was being as the biggest presentation of the day – with the hope that Abrams would release a full/partial cast list – but instead, all we learned is what many already knew: “Heroes” star Zachary Quinto had been cast in the role of Spock. The perfect choice if you ask me, and as you can see from the photos above (as Leonard Nimoy joined the panel with the announcement that he do would be donning the infamous ears one last time), the similarities are mind-blowing. That was the only major announcement in regards to casting, though, except for a brief mention that, despite recent rumors, Abrams desperately wants to find a role for William Shatner. With the release more than a year away, though, you can expect some awesome footage when the crew of the USS Enterprise roll back through town for Comic-Con ’08.
