Category: Comic Con Blog 2008 (Page 3 of 4)

Guests: Director Zack Snyder, co-creator Dave Gibbons, and stars Matthew Goode, Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino and Jackie Earle Haley

If last year’s big event was Paramount’s worldwide trailer debut of “Iron Man,” then this year’s must-see presentation was surely Warner Bros.’ big-screen adaptation of “Watchmen,” the supposedly unfilmable graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Joining director Zack Snyder on stage for a lengthy Q&A was his entire principal cast, and they spoke quite intelligently on the making of the film like a bunch of fanboys desperate to “get it right.” That didn’t come as much of a surprise to Snyder, since that was the very reason he agreed to direct the film as well. After all, whether the movie turned out bad because of him, or because of another director, he would always be the one responsible. Below, you’ll find some other highlights from the panel:

* The actors were so insistent on staying faithful to the source material that they often requested the dialogue be changed to reflect what had been written in the novel.

* Jackie Earle Haley received a lot of help from fans on how to play the character of Rorschach, right down to his trademark grumble.

* The only green screen used throughout the entire shoot were Malin and Billy’s scenes on Mars. According to Billy Crudup, it was far too expensive to shoot on the red planet, even with the backing of a major studio.

* Matthew Goode’s preparation for playing Ozymandis resulted in the actor giving his character a half-American, half-German accent – something that he’s not entirely certain will fly over well with the fans.

Of course, the real highlight of the hour was an exclusive sneak peek at the film’s extended trailer, and from what we saw – including everything from Rorschach’s constantly morphing mask to the beautifully-shot opening featuring the Comedian’s death – the film looks like everything it ought to be. We didn’t actually get to hear any dialogue, but the characters (as well as most of the scenes) appear to have been ripped straight from the pages of the novel. After seeing it twice, I can only say one thing: this movie is going to be a fucking masterpiece. Forget about “The Dark Knight,” because if “Watchmen” turns out even remotely as good as this newest trailer indicates it will be, Snyder is going to have a helluva hard time outdoing himself the next time around. I mean, what other challenges are left short of adapting “The Bible” for the big screen?

If there’s one studio that might have been better off following Paramount’s footsteps and sitting out this year, it’s Lionsgate. The studio best known for the “Saw” series doesn’t exactly put out the kind of material that the Comic-Con crowd eats up, and though they did dial it back a bit by moving to a smaller venue, none of their upcoming films really grabbed my attention. I expected as much from the new “Punisher” and “Saw” films, but I was really disappointed to discover that Darren Lynn Bousman’s “Repo: The Genetic Opera” might not be as cool as I was initially hoping it would be.

Punisher: War Zone (guests: producer Gale Anne Hurd and stars Ray Stevenson and Julie Benz)

For many, Thomas Jane was the perfect Punisher. He had the look, the talent, and most importantly, the love of the source material. So why isn’t the actor returning for the second film? Quite simply, because the script sucked. Or so says Tom Jane. This prompted Lionsgate to switch things up a bit, and instead of following up the first film with a sequel, “Punisher: War Zone” is now being referred to as a reboot in the same vein as “Batman Begins” and “The Incredible Hulk.” Producer Gale Anne Hurd describes this latest version of the Punisher as “ruthless, violent, vigilante justice,” and while that may be true, it doesn’t exactly make it good. From the footage that was shown, “War Zone” is definitely ruthless and violent, but it also looks a little campy. Ray Stevenson may physically embody the Punisher from artist Tim Bradstreet’s covers, but he also looks like a giant tool that deserves to get punched in the face just as much as the guys he’s brutally killing. Furthermore, Dominic West’s Jigsaw was also prominently featured in the new trailer, and all I can say is: Schumacher Two-Face. Yes, it’s that bad, so here’s hoping that West (who was phenomenal in HBO’s “The Wire”) delivers a good enough performance to detract from his silly appearance. Stevenson may be God in the eyes of “Rome” fans, but he’s got a lot more work to do before he convinces me that he‘s even half the Punisher that Jane was.

Saw V (guests: director David Hackl and stars Tobin Bell, Julie Benz, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson)

When all is said and done, this might just be the most pointless panel of the entire weekend. Seriously, does anyone even care about these movies anymore? I sure as hell don’t, especially now that the franchise has become so saturated with D-list actors that it’s impossible to take seriously. Add to that the fact that none of the cast members would dare say a thing for fear of incurring the wrath of the studio, and you have yourself one boring panel. Some people might be okay with watching the same movie over and over again, but I’m not one of them.

Repo: The Genetic Opera (guests: director Darren Lynn Bousman and stars Alexa Vega, Paris Hilton, Bill Moseley and Ogre)

“Repo” is one of those films that I’ve been dying to hear more about ever since director Darren Lynn Bousman briefly discussed it during the panel for “Saw IV” at last year’s Comic-Con. I’m not a particularly big fan of musicals, but I have a few favorites, and “Repo” looked like it might easily fit into that group. The fact that Anthony Steward Head was playing one of the lead roles also helped, but with his absence from the panel on Thursday night, all attention was turned to Paris Hilton, who not only crushed most preconceptions of herself in the media with a genuine and dare I say humble presence, but also showed that her existence in the film was more than just stunt casting. Of the three musical sequences shown to the audience, Paris’ bit with co-writer Terrance Zdunich was by far the best of the bunch. She isn’t a better singer than Head, or even Ogre from Skinny Puppy, but she definitely holds her own in a performance that may surprise more than a few people. She also earned the biggest laugh of the night when she responded to a reporter inquiring about her visit to San Diego with the following comment: “I love Comic-Con. It’s hot.”

Among other things discussed were the film’s runtime (which was cut from 145 minutes to a more economic 95 minutes) and Bousman’s eventual plans for the discarded segments, which he claims should show up on the DVD release. Though my impressions of “Repo” weren’t quite what I’d hoped, I’m still weary of passing judgment on a film that can’t properly be criticized without seeing it in its entirety. And with that, I’ll say this: “Repo: The Genetic Opera” is definitely different, but whether or not it’s any good remains unclear. I’m really hoping that seeing the film in its finished form will change my mind, because this is exactly the kind of film that Hollywood needs.

A funny thing happened after the Disney panel for “Race to Witch Mountain” – the lights went down and an announcement was made about a secret trailer for a film that no one else would see footage of for at least another year. (It’s official release date will be sometime in 2011.) That film just so happened to be “Tron 2,” a movie that not only looks to have benefited from the technological advances of the last 20 years, but also marks the return of Jeff Bridges in one of his most popular roles.

Most of the trailer revolved around a Light Cycle chase between a man in a blue battlesuit and a faceless man in a yellow battlesuit. When the blue rider crashes into the yellow rider’s Light Cycle trail, he admits defeat, but the yellow rider clearly has plans of his own. The trailer then cut to the real world where you see a much older Kevin Flynn (Bridges) rise from a meditation position with something in his hand. Back in the game world, the yellow rider’s helmet visor reveals Flynn’s face, and when his defeat opponent exclaims “But it’s only a game,” Flynn replies, “Not anymore.” I’m not exactly sure if this means that Bridges will be the villain in this second film, but he’s clearly not the good-natured computer programmer from the original. Let the speculation begin, but one thing is clear: “Tron 2” is going to be badass.