Well, if you weren’t at the San Diego Comic-Con this year, don’t fret. The lines were insane and with each passing year the event seems to become more and more crowded. Additionally, a lot of the big clips attendees were clamoring to see have now been released online.
In Hall H, the fantastic Mad Max: Fury Road presentation went over extremely well. Here’s a trailer that contains a shortened version of what was previewed. Sadly, we’ll all have to wait until May 15th, 2015 to see the entire film.
And here’s a new preview for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The final chapter in Peter’s Jackson’s Middle Earth series will be released on December 17th, 2014.
Kevin Smith also premiered the trailer for his latest horror film, Tusk. It arrives at theaters September 19th, 2014.
DC offered up a picture of Wonder Woman, who appears in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice flick. She’s played by Gal Gadot and based on the picture, Wonder Woman is carrying a sword for some battle action (near an erupting volcano?). The scheduled release date for the movie is May 6th, 2016 (yup, that’s almost two years away).
Legendary announced Godzilla 2 for 2017. It will likely feature Rodan, Mothra and Ghidora. They also announced the return of King Kong in Skull Island, which will feature the big ape battling a bunch of enormous creatures. A few online sources have suggested Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) is the frontrunner to direct. One wonders if Legendary aren’t trying to pull together a giant monster version of the Avengers, tying together Godzilla, King Kong and other beasts for a future throw-down. This is just speculation, but it seems to be the direction that many movie series are moving towards these days.
And, of course, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron panel impressed with a star studded panel and a clip that impressed audiences. It’s due on May 1st, 2015. Marvel head Kevin Feige seemed to escape unscathed from comic book fans while presenting Ant-Man. The cast and newly hired director were there. While they all seemed excited about the movie, many of them mentioned that they still haven’t seen the final script yet – even with shooting beginning in only a few weeks. Make of that what you will. It’s currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 17th, 2015.
Still, there were a few unique things to see over the weekend downtown. Here are a few of the highlights.
One of the panels that didn’t get a great deal of press was the Sony panel, which included presentation on some titles scheduled for release next year. Pixels is a movie coming next summer about classic arcade game playing goofballs who have to save the world after it comes under attack from classic video game characters like Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger and Space Invaders. It sounds like a great concept, but sadly, the film was too early into production to show attendees any finished footage.
However, there was an arcade set up in the Gaslamp district that allowed passersby to play and compete for the highest score on the games themselves (while 80’s New Wave tunes were pumped over the loudspeakers). Apparently, this writer is still a pretty decent Galaga player. In all it was a great idea, well executed. Anyone in the downtown area could enjoy it without a Comic-Con pass and it was one of the most entertaining diversions not on the showroom floor. The movie stars Adam Sandler, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan, Brain Cox and Josh Gad. It’s directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Home Alone, Adventures in Babysitting) and will arrive in theaters on May 15th, 2015.
Jack Black came out to introduce viewers to early footage of a film adaptation of the children’s horror book series, Goosebumps. Blacks plays the writer R. L. Stine, who must help neighborhood kids fight off a series of famous villains featured in the books after they break free from the written page. The movie has a lot of potential and Black’s high energy made it an entertaining presentation. It comes out on August 7th, 2015.
There was one other big surprise – this reviewer saw the pilot for the Fox series from M. Night Shyamalan. It’s called Wayward Pines and the episode was enjoyable. The plot follows a Secret Service agent who gets into a car accident and awakens in a strange town hiding sinister secrets. It has a very strong Twilight Zone meets Twin Peaks vibe. The pilot featured creepy moments, several grim laughs and a twisty, engaging story. The premiere was held in an intimate room with Shyamalan, Matt Dillon, Juliette Lewis, Melissa Leo, Tobey Jones and Terrence Howard in attendance. They explained that the show has a specific plan and that every odd and quirky moment is motivated. The cast and crew will clearly answer all questions raised as to the mystery of what is happening. It was a nice surprise that most people missed, and it’s a show I’ll definitely give a chance this fall.
Anyway, that’s the majority of noteworthy stuff that this reporter witnessed. Hope that all of you (unlike me), enjoyed a nice, quiet weekend!