If there’s one panel that totally took me by surprise this weekend, it was Universal. Most of the films represented probably didn’t deserve to be featured at a place like Comic-Con, but the studio had the fans eating right out of their hand thanks to their decision to bring just about every major cast member from all four of their films. They also debuted some great footage from two of the summer’s biggest remaining movies, as well as reconfirmed that Sam Raimi is still a master of horror.
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (guests: stars Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, Michelle Yeoh, John Hannah and Luke Ford)
The movie may be opening in less than week, but that didn’t stop the cast of “The Mummy 3” from including San Diego in their international publicity tour. After showing an extended clip from the film involving a pack of Yetis that are called upon to help the O’Connell family escape from their latest misadventure, the cast spoke a little about the challenges of making a third installment after so much time had passed after “The Mummy Returns.” Brendan Fraser insisted that he was just sitting around waiting for the call for years, but the fact of the matter is, I don’t think Universal ever really thought about moving the franchise to a different part of the world until director Rob Cohen was brought on to the project. Michelle Yeoh agreed that Cohen is very much Chinese in the inside, and that one of the reasons the film was being made was because it featured “the fight that all of Asia had been waiting for,” referring, of course, to her onscreen duel with longtime pal Jet Li.
I’m not exactly sure I agree with that comment (wasn’t the battle between Li and Jackie Chan in “The Forbidden Kingdom” far more anticipated?), but Li didn’t say otherwise. In fact, the martial arts star was mostly tightlipped throughout the course of the panel, but he did lighten up later one, especially after an audience member asked Fraser who was more intimidating: Jet Li or The Rock? Fraser danced around the question, insisting that Li was such a professional that he could perform a roundhouse kick that only touched your shirt, but he eventually admitted that he didn’t know, since he never actually met The Rock on the set of “The Mummy Returns.” He went on to criticize just how unintimidating the Scorpion King actually looked in the film, stating that it was “no better than an avatar” and earning the collective applause of the audience for saying so.
“Death Race” (guests: director Paul W.S. Anderson, creator Roger Corman and stars Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Joan Allen and Ian McShane)
It’s pretty funny just how different Paul W.S. Anderson and Paul Thomas Anderson are from one another as directors, but despite their distinct career paths, both have experienced equal success behind the camera. The former is best known for making the king of mindless entertainment that is often criticized in the industry for glamorizing violence, and if the clip we were shown is any indication, Anderson has done it again. Anderson and cast spoke briefly about filming the 2008 update to Roger Corman’s beloved cult classic, and though Ian McShane seemed convinced that none of the actors did any of the driving in the film, both Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson confirmed that they did in fact do most of the basic stunts (180 degree turns and such), while Anderson went on to include that the movie was shot entirely with practical stunts. When the question of whether the film would be using the points system from the original film was poised during the Q&A session, Anderson stated that his “Death Race” is actually a prequel to Corman’s movie and will help explain the origins of Death Race’s existence. Sounds cool – as long as Anderson’s version isn’t so bad that the original is actually looked at as the better of the two.
“Drag Me to Hell” (guests: director/co-writer Sam Raimi and stars Alison Lohman and Justin Long)
Let me begin by saying that I am a huge fan of Sam Raimi. I loved all three “Evil Dead” movies, all three “Spider-Man” movies (yep, even the third one), and I fully credit him for making Bruce Campbell the cult movie star that he is today. When news broke that Raimi would be returning to the horror genre with Ellen Page as his female lead, I was ecstatic. Then, Page had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, and shortly after, the film’s first photo was released, lowering my expectations drastically. Thank God for Comic-Con, then, for giving Raimi the means of proving me wrong. “Drag Me To Hell” may not be “Evil Dead 4,” but it certainly feels like it. We were shown a trailer for the film, as well as two clips, and all I have to say is that it looks fucking awesome. Blending horror with his trademark slapstick humor (lets just say a stapler is used as a weapon in one scene), the only way this movie won’t succeed is if the studio sticks to its May 29th release date. This is a movie that shouldn’t have to fight for recognition, but if it remains a part of the summer season, it will have to do just that.
“Land of the Lost” (guests: director Brad Silberling, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Anna Friel, Jorma Taccone and Sid & Marty Krofft)
Of all the films on the panel, this one was probably the biggest waste of time. Most people were hoping that Will Ferrell would make an appearance, and though he did send in a funny clip meant to fake people into thinking it was a live satellite feed of him trapped in his room in San Diego, it was mostly just a fun little bit meant to fill up their obligatory block of time. The cast and crew really didn’t talk about the film a whole lot (other than director Brad Silberling’s confirmation that just about everything you loved about the original series would appear in the filmic version, except Uncle Jack), but when Sid & Marty Krofft were asked about the possibility of any of their other creations being adapted for the big screen, they said that movies for “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters” were in very early development stages.
