Marvel sprinkles some movie magic

Warner wows Comic-Con with blockbuster previews

SAN DIEGO, July 24, (AFP): Marvel gave fans a glimpse of its everexpanding “Cinematic Universe” at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, in a robust response to rival Warner’s own star-studded presentation earlier in the day.

Marvel, which sat out last year’s convention, introduced a new company logo and played host to a number of big name actors.

“We only want to come when we have a lot to show you. We actually have a lot today,” said president Kevin Feige, who served as ringmaster.

Fans were treated to new footage of Scott Derrickson’s “Doctor Strange,” opening on November 4, in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays brainsurgeon-turned-sorcerer Stephen Vincent Strange.

Mist descended from the ceiling of Comic-Con’s 6,500-seat Hall H and the lights lifted to reveal Cumberbatch onstage in a T-shirt and jeans.

“He doesn’t know anything — he’s just at the beginning of figuring out what reality is,” the 40-year-old Briton said of his character.

Derrickson, who joined the panel alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton, told Comic-Con the film was a “left turn in the Marvel universe,” focusing on magic rather than technology.

Kurt Russell drove the crowd wild when he made a surprise appearance to confirm he would play Chris Pratt’s father in James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2,” which hits theaters on May 5 next year.

A trailer revealed for the first time that Sylvester Stallone also has a role

Coppola unveiled details of the multi-year project at a news conference Saturday, following his month-long collaboration with 75 UCLA students and faculty on “Distant Vision,” the story of in the “Guardians” sequel.

Pratt, who reprises his turn as “Star Lord,” took the stage alongside other cast members including Michael Rooker, who appeared as the Ravagers gang’s chief mercenary Yondu Udonta in costume and full blue body paint.

Surprise

There was also a surprise glimpse of “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” with very early footage from the film due for release in on July 7 next year showing Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland.

Feige brought onstage Ryan Coogler, who helmed Rocky spin-off “Creed” last year and has turned his attention to the fictional world of Wakanda for “Black Panther,” due in 2018.

“The coolest thing about the world of Wakanda is they have a king, and we have an incredible actor playing that part,” Coogler said of Chadwick Boseman, who first took on the role in this year’s “Captain America: Civil War.”

“I am literally vibrating inside,” Boseman said as he took to the stage for his first Comic-Con.

Hall H was then treated to a “mockumentary” by “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi in the style of his vampire spoof, “What We Do in the Shadows.”

The crowd applauded as Chris Hemsworth was shown with a nerdy roommate who helps him send peacemaking emails to Captain America and Iron Man during their “Civil War” dispute.

Meanwhile Oscar-winning Brie Larson got a standing ovation as she was confirmed to play the title role in “Captain Marvel,” slated to open in

three generations of an Italian-American family whose history spans the development of television.

The collaboration culminated Friday with a 27-minute live broadcast of the 2019.

The story follows Carol Danvers, an air force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien, giving her super strength and the ability to fly.

Earlier Warner Brothers had pulled back the curtain on its own portfolio of upcoming DC Comics movies and nonsuperhero offerings, including “Wonder Woman,” “Justice League”, “Suicide Squad” and “Kong: Skull Island.”

Warner Brothers pulled back the curtain on its slate of upcoming blockbusters on Saturday at a star-studded presentation to thousands of die-hard San Diego Comic-Con fans.

The studio took over the fanfest for two hours, with Conan O’Brien as host, to premiere its hotly anticipated DC Comics movies and non-superhero offerings.

Stars onstage at the 6,500-seat Hall H included “Wonder Woman” lead Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck, who reprises his turn as Batman in “Justice League.”

A beat-boxing Will Smith was joined by Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and director David Ayer for “Suicide Squad.”

Next spring’s “Kong: Skull Island” was presented by Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and John Goodman and there was a first look at Harry Potter spin-off “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrell.

Warner’s first exclusive of the session was a sneak peek at “Wonder Woman,” which saw the Amazonian — alias Diana Prince — moving away from the lush island of Themyscira

“Distant Vision” script from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Freud Playhouse to a limited audience. The tasks for the students and faculty included operating over 40 cameras, into modern civilization.

Near the start of the action-packed trailer soldier Steve Trevor, played by Chris Pine, asks Prince: “Have you never met a man before? But what about your father?”

“I had no father. I was brought to life by Zeus,” Wonder Woman replies.

The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on June 2, 2017, focusing on a character introduced earlier this year in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

“It’s an honor and a privilege,” a visibly trembling Gadot told the Comic-Con devotees about bringing the character to the big screen.

“She has the heart of a human and the strength of a goddess.”

Robbie’s comic book baddie Harley Quinn is one of the most hotly-anticipated characters among all the films due to emerge from Warner’s “DC Extended Universe” films.

The studio premiered the first trailer for “Suicide Squad,” which comes out on August 5, at last year’s Comic-Con and has since released plenty of footage.

Fans were ecstatic nevertheless when they were shown the film’s final trailer, which featured the bubblegumpopping Quinn using her martial arts skills to dispatch an adversary in an elevator.

“Everyone was doing all this action — I was doing it wearing heels,” Robbie said of the shoot, which took place last year in Toronto and Chicago.

Will Smith appeared to be having the most fun, joking with fans and telling the hall: “This is not a movie about good versus evil. This is a movie about bad versus evil.”

acting and working on sound, set design and construction, costume, props, editing, stage management and producing.

UCLA co-sponsored the workshop with American Zoetrope, Coppola’s production company. Coppola was the writer and director.

Coppola’s “live cinema” concept is based on using feeds from a multitude of cameras, instant replay servers, and other sources — all of which the director can switch live — so that the performances are acted live and viewed by an audience in real time. (RTRS)

SAN DIEGO:

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is just 10 days into its shoot, but audiences at Comic-Con have already seen a first look at the film.

Marvel Studios unveiled initial footage from the film Saturday evening, showing star Tom Holland as Peter Parker in the latest big screen reboot of the web-slinger.

Director Jon Watts said “Homecoming” is simply a high school movie. Moderator Chris Hardwick added that it has some John Hughes vibes to it.

It’s the first modern “Spider-Man” movie to be done with the supervision of Marvel Studios. It’s being co-produced by Sony Pictures.

Audiences first got a look at Holland’s Spider-Man earlier this year in “Captain America: Civil War.” (AP)