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By Gregory Ellwood
Special to MSN Movies
July 30, 2007
Also: See a gallery of stars at the Con
If it wasn't evident during the first 24 hours, the rest of this year's Comic-Con in San Diego proved that the nongeeks have taken over. The annual event isn't just for hard-core comic-book fans anymore; it's become the nation's preeminent pop-culture festival with fans bringing their kids to see their favorite stars and multiple sponsored VIP parties filled with Hollywood celebrities (are gifting suites next?). Most importantly, however, fan boys and fan girls from all over the world got incredible sneak peeks at some of their favorite upcoming movies and TV shows. Here are some of the highlights from Days 2 and 3.
A "Heroes" Welcome
"Heroes" creator Tim Kring credits the fans at last year's Comic-Con for creating the initial buzz on the TV show that became one of last season's surprise big hits. As a big thank you, Kring brought nearly the entire cast, including Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, Milo Ventimiglia (who was a bit shy), Ali Larter, Adrian Pasdar, Greg Grunberg and the new Spock, Zachary Quinto. Having attended numerous movie premieres, film festivals and previous Comic-Cons, I can't remember the last time I felt that much fan love in a room. I rarely watch the show, but I could feel the emotion from the crowd as it roared when the cast was introduced.
Downey Jr. Continues "Iron Man" Buzz
Video: Exclusive interviews with Downey Jr., Howard and Favreau
Much has been made of Robert Downey Jr.'s past problems with drugs and alcohol and how they relate to his playing billionaire industrialist-turned-superhero Tony Stark in "Iron Man," a character with a long history of alcoholism. And the first fan question at Saturday's packed "Iron Man" panel went right for the jugular, asking Downey Jr. if he thought his addictions were one of the reasons he got the role. Downey Jr. has become a master at working a room and replies, "I think there is a destiny to just about everything." Along with director Jon Favreau, co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow (broken foot and all) and Terrence Howard, Downey Jr. ate up the crowd's love for a movie that is destined to be a massive hit next summer. The four-minute preview that created a buzz the Thursday before was shown twice to a rapturous response and a partial standing ovation (which is actually rare at the Con).
Carell and the Rock Are So "Smart"
What's the best part of playing iconic spy Maxwell Smart in next summer's "Get Smart"? Star Steve Carell says, "I get to look like I am athletic, coordinated, intelligent and sexy. When, as in real life, I am none of the above." Carell looked surprisingly anxious and nervous in front of the adoring fans, but Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, who plays Agent 23 and Smart's mentor, has wowed this crowd numerous times before and his snappy banter (and the hilarious preview clip) did the job again today.
"The Dark Knight" Appears ... Sort Of
 Heath Ledger, left, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in a scene from "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
When the official "Dark Knight" Web site (whysoserious.com) released a countdown clock Friday morning with a message proclaiming, "We Want You" -- a message seemingly from the Joker -- and an arrow pointing at a picture of the San Diego Convention Center, it spurred speculation that talent or footage from the "Batman Begins" follow-up would be part of the Warner Bros. presentation. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but a street team was handing out dollar bills with Joker stickers on them and painting faces a la Heath Ledger's new look for the villain. Skywriting teams also wrote "Ha, Ha, Ha" above the convention and a phone number, 800-395-9646, that contains a very creepy message. Call it if you dare ...
Stay "Superbad," San Diego
The genius of "Superbad" will no doubt be discovered across the country when the film comes out Aug. 17 (the screening here received a standing ovation). The panel featuring producer and current Hollywood wunderkind Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up"), co-writer Seth Rogen and stars Michael Cera ("Arrested Development"), Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) ended Saturday's slew of panels with a bang. The biggest surprise, though, was when one girl after another professed her love to Cera while his real girlfriend sat onstage next to him. As Apatow deftly noted, "This whole event has turned into women wanting to screw Michael Cera."
Attack of the Milla Jovovich Clones
Having 100 Alice "clones" (basically really sexy girls in short red dresses) strutting out one by one to tease the fans before the introduction of "Resident Evil: Extinction" star Milla Jovovich was a nice touch. Fans may have been a bit disappointed to see a very pregnant Jovovich waddle out behind her doppelgangers. A bloody clip of Jovovich's Alice tearing apart zombies in a postapocalyptic Vegas was shown, but the attendees' love for "The Fifth Element" star was first and foremost on the agenda. After one young man asked Jovovich to marry him, the actress replied, "Will you take a pregnant woman? Lots of strings attached with me."
Norton Takes on "The Incredible Hulk"
Let's repeat this mantra: The new "Incredible Hulk" movie is not a follow-up to Ang Lee's 2003 "Hulk." And though it's only 14 days into production, two big tidbits were revealed during the movie's panel discussion: This new version will be closer to the beloved Bill Bixby '70s TV series, and star Edward Norton announced he wrote the screenplay (did anyone tell screenwriter Zak Penn?). A conceptual drawing of the new Hulk was also shown (a little hard to gauge), but the biggest kudos go to director Louis Leterrier ("The Transporter" series), Norton and co-star Liv Tyler for flying from Toronto immediately after finishing up a night shoot. Now that's commitment.
Much Swordplay for "Prince Caspian"
The second installment in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, "Prince Caspian," is more than 106 days into production (only 30 to 40 more to go), and director Andrew Adamson joined the convention via satellite from Prague, Czech Republic, to introduce the prince himself, newcomer Ben Barnes. Adamson also debuted a sizzle reel that featured a hint of what the filmmaker promises will be a movie with more action. "Narnia" producer Mark Johnson also revealed that Disney and Walden Media plan to release a new adaptation from C.S. Lewis' classic series every year beginning with "Caspian" next May. Johnson said, "As long as you keep embracing them, we'll keep making them."
"Wall-E" Isn't Another "Short Circuit"
Pixar has always tried to do something special for the increasingly family-friendly fans at the Con and this year was no different. "Finding Nemo" director Andrew Stanton previewed the first five minutes of the next Pixar release, "Wall-E," a story about the last robot left behind to clean up Earth after humanity abandons it. The footage shown was (predictably) beautiful and had that Pixar "magic" that we've all begun to take for granted. Stanton and sound designer Ben Burtt (the man who came up with R2-D2's distinctive voice in the "Star Wars" series) also provided a demonstration of how the four main characters (Wall-E, his girlfriend Eve and buddies Mo and Auto) communicate in the movie without using traditional dialogue (and the animations on these demos were wicked cool). This sort of tease provides hope "Wall-E" might not be the mixed bags "Cars" and "Ratatouille" were.
Sackhoff Goes From "Battlestar" to "Bionic"
If Sunday was the convention's official children's day, Saturday was unofficially Katee Sackoff day because she appeared on two packed panels. Geeks and Peabody Award voters already know her for her role as Starbuck on Sci-Fi's acclaimed series, "Battlestar Galactica" (why aren't you people watching?), but millions of TV viewers will discover her this fall as the first Bionic Woman, the evil nemesis of "Bionic Woman" star Michelle Ryan. And if anything, the sexily dressed Sackhoff knows her audience. Of her rain-soaked fight scene with Ryan in the series premiere, Sackoff cracked, "I think if [the guys here] had their way, we would have been in white T-shirts."
Other Noteworthy Previews: Josh Hartnett and producer Sam Raimi were on hand to show a creepy clip from their vampire flick, "30 Days of Night"; Clive Owen took questions about his new thriller, "Shoot 'Em Up"; Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and director Frank Darabont were incredibly enthusiastic about their new adaptation of Stephen King's "The Mist"; New Line showed an extended preview with finished effects for "The Golden Compass," which will quiet some of the naysayers (for now); and "300" director Zack Snyder brought one of his just-announced stars of "Watchmen," recent Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley.
More Comic-Con 2007 video:
