Comic- Con 2014
Forty things we learned at
All the hottest news from this year’s San Diego geekfest.
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN WILL HAVE ONE HELL OF A BARNEY...
There’s nearly two years to wait before Batman and Superman have their Dawn Of Justice. That wasn’t enough to keep Con fave Zack Snyder away from Hall H, and the director even brought some superfriends along to meet their public: a Man of Steel ( Henry Cavill), a Caped Crusader ( Ben Affleck) and a Wonder Woman ( Gal Gadot) – arguably the highest profile superhero team- up of the weekend, despite the later efforts of the Avengers.
The director showed off the first footage from the movie, with Bats decked out in an armoured suit ( much like the one from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns), apparently getting ready to duke it out with Supes.
... AND WONDER WOMAN WILL LOOK LIKE THIS
Snyder also showed off this picture of Gal Gadot in costume. Needless to say, the internet talked.
THE THIRD HOBBIT MOVIE IS PETER JACKSON’S FAVOURITE
Peter Jackson’s on the final straight of his six- movie jaunt in Middleearth, and he’s rather keen on the recently retitled third Hobbit movie, The Battle
Of The Five Armies. “By the time we are done with this film, which is going to be the most emotional and tense of the three, I think it’s my favourite,” he said. “It’s got a nice thriller pace to it. When you get to the end of it, I think it’s going to feel like the right time to hand it over to The Fellowship Of The Ring.
One day, long after all of this is all over, all that’s ever going to exist in the world is these movies as a six- film series. That’s how future generations are going to think of them.”
GAME OF THRONES IS OFF TO DORNE
The ever- expanding Game Of Thrones cast well, expanded. Prince Oberyn may be [ SPOILER!] gone, but his homeland of Dorne will become a key location. Star Trek: DSN’s Alexander Siddig earns yet another genre spur as Oberyn’s big bro Doran, Toby Sebastian is Oberyn’s nephew Trystane, and Jessica Henwick, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers and Keisha Castle- Hughes play his illegitimate daughters Nymeria, Tyene and Obara Sand. Cersei’s daughter Myrcella, exiled in Dorne since season two, is recast as Nell Tiger Free. And the casting frenzy doesn’t stop there, as Jonathan Pryce ( of Brazil and Bond villain fame) has signed up to play religious leader High Sparrow. Wrapping up the newbies, DeObia Oparei will play Areo Hotah, and Enzo Cilenti will play Yezzan.
ROBIN DIDN’T HAVE A STUNT DOUBLE
The classic ’ 60s Batman TV series was out in force in San Diego to promote its long- awaited DVD/ Blu- ray release. Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar slid down the batpoles to attend, and former Robin Ward revealed that he wasn’t afforded the same stunt double privileges as Caped Crusader West. “I was hanging about 14 feet above the tigers [ in Catwoman’s first episode] and I asked the trainers how high can they jump. I was told ‘ about 19 or 20 feet’.”
KING KONG IS BACK
Legendary Pictures, the outfit behind Godzilla, the Dark Knight movies and
Pacific Rim, had a big presence in San Diego, and took the opportunity to announce their next big movie – and the emphasis is on big. Teased with footage of a big gorilla
THE NEW MAD MAX IS A “REVISITING”
We’ve had reimaginings, reboots, regrets ( Tim Burton’s Planet Of The Apes was arguably all three), but Mad Max creator George Miller is describing the fourth movie in his series in his own way. “It’s not a reboot, it’s not a sequel, the best description I have is a revisiting. It certainly goes back to the post apocalyptic world. It’s pretty well a 110- minute chase and during that chase you discover the characters, their relationships and the backstory, and because of that it’s closest to Mad Max 2. The world is very, very elemental, very spare, and therefore you can tell stories within it that are basically allegories, morality plays. The simplest way to describe them is Westerns on wheels.” emerging from a jungle, they revealed that
Skull Island is heading our way on 4 November 2016. Attack The Block’s Joe Cornish is reportedly being lined up to direct.
MOTHRA WILL RISE
Godzilla director Gareth Edwards showed up on video to confirm that he’ll be directing a sequel to his city- pounding spectacle just as soon as he’s wrapped on his standalone Star Wars movie. Classic ’ Zilla foes Rodan, Mothra and Ghidorah are on Big Bad monster duties.
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN WANTS TO TAKE US INTO SPACE
Matthew McConaughey came to town to talk Interstellar – and brought director Christopher Nolan along for his Comic- Con debut. Anyone expecting major spoilers clearly doesn’t know Nolan, but he did talk about his inspiration for his trip into outer space: “I grew up in a time when to be an astronaut was the highest ambition. I really like the idea that we’re on the cusp of a brand new era of exploration. I’m very much hoping that the experience we’re putting together will take the audience on that ride.”
WARCRAFT IS AN ORIGIN STORY
Duncan Jones popped into Hall H to talk about his big budget Warcraft movie – and it turns out it’s going back to franchise’s beginnings. “There is an awful lot to draw on from Warcraft,” the son of Bowie said. “In this case I think it really merits an origin story. We want to show how the world of Azeroth falls into conflict between orcs and humans.”
THE EVIL DEAD IS COMING TO TV
Surprise Hall H guest Sam Raimi revealed that he’s working on an Evil Dead TV spin- off with his bro, Ivan, and Ash himself – Bruce Campbell. Campbell has since said on Twitter that he’s planning to star.
RAIMI’S ALSO LOOKING AFTER THE LAST OF US
Ace zombie videogame The Last Of Us is also heading to the big screen under Raimi’s watchful eye. The game’s writer, Neil Druckmann, is on board to script, and Raimi has had conversations with Game Of Thrones’ Maisie Williams to star.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON HAS A REALLY BIG CAST
Robert Downey Jr took to the stage throwing roses into the Hall H crowd, bringing the Avengers back to their spiritual home. He was joined by Samuel L Jackson, Paul Bettany, Aaron TaylorJohnson, James Spader, Cobie Smulders, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and even Josh Brolin ( the voice of Thanos greeted his public brandishing an Infinity Gauntlet). In fact, the only principal players who didn’t show up were Scarlett Johansson ( pregnant), Joss Whedon ( just had knee surgery) and Don Cheadle ( we haven’t seen his excuse note).
There was, of course, also some footage. “You’re all not worthy,” says Ultron, crashing a party at the Avengers Tower. “How could you be worthy? You are all killers. You want to protect the world but you don’t want it to change. There’s only one path to peace… your extinction.” This is presumably how the age of the Tony Stark- built law enforcement ’ bot begins.
YELLOWJACKET IS ANTMAN’S BAD GUY
We already knew that Michael Douglas is original Ant- Man Hank Pym, and that Paul Rudd his protégé ( and leading man) Scott Lang. The Hall H panel also confirmed that Evangeline Lilly will play Pym’s daughter, Hope, and that Corey Stoll will be Darren Cross, a business rival of Tony Stark who’ll become diminutive bad guy Yellowjacket. The movie’s new director Peyton Reed was in attendance, which perhaps explains the decision not to invite questions from the audience – we’re assuming many would have been awkward and Edgar Wright- shaped.
THERE’LL BE A GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2
Bear in mind that the announcement came before Rocket, Groot, Star- Lord and co bagged the biggest August opening of all time, so this was ( slightly) bigger news then than it is now. But Hall H was first to learn that the sequel to Guardians Of The Galaxy will be released on 28 July 2017.
MARVEL DOESN’T ALWAYS GET I T RIGHT
In 2010 they Assembled the Avengers cast for the first time. In 2013 they unleashed Loki on an unsuspecting Hall H, and flew all of the Guardians Of The Galaxy from London to San Diego. This year, however, greeting the casts of Ant- Man and
Avengers: Age Of Ultron ( including new additions) didn’t feel all that. Maybe our expectations have been lifted to insane levels by Marvel’s usual gift for the theatrical, but without the Doctor Strange announcement that had been rumoured, there was a whiff of anticlimax to the close of movie proceedings.
OUTCAST IS THE WALKING DEAD FOR DEMONS
Outcast is Robert Kirkman’s new TV show and comic combo, and with it he plans to reinvent exorcism the way he did zombies in The Walking Dead. “When I started The Walking Dead the zombie genre was something I thought was ripe for a new take. And with Outcast I think I have the same thing,” he told assembled press. “I have a new angle on the exorcism story that’s never been done.”
OCULUS RIFT IS LOTS OF FUN
An Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is the perfect way to recreate a tornado, if you blast freezing cold air at the user. We discovered this courtesy of Warner Bros who were promoting Into The Storm, the disaster film starring The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage. We experienced the twister’s heart with Oculus Rift and a cubicle blasted by fans. The 4D experience was just a couple of minutes long but was one of the most thrilling experiences in San Diego.
AGENT CARTER HAS TOP DIRECTING TALENT
Agent Carter is bringing Captain America’s directors from the big screen to the small. The First Avenger’s Joe Johnston, and The Winter Soldier’s Russo brothers will all direct the post- war series set against the origins of SHIELD. Since we know that HYDRA will eventually blow SHIELD wide open in the present day, won’t that undermine what Peggy Carter is trying to achieve in her own series? “No,” insists Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb, “because we’ll see at what point [ HYDRA’s infiltration] happens. And it’s not the biggest problem she has.”
M NIGHT SHYAMALAN IS BACK
M Night Shyamalan is adapting all three Wayward Pines novels by Blake Crouch into one ten- episode series. And that means the big mystery of the first book will be revealed about half way through. It stars Matt Dillon as a secret serviceman who winds up, after a car crash, in a small town from which he seems unable to leave. Part The Prisoner, part Twin Peaks? “Every single thing in the entire story makes sense,” promises screenwriter Chad Hodge. “You’ll find out the truth about episode five – and then it keeps going, it’s not over, it’s about how you deal with that truth.”
BATMAN DOESN’T JUST WEAR BLACK
What happens when you give a latex reproduction of the Bat suit to a bunch of artists and trendsetters, and invite them to decorate it as they like? The Cape/ Cowl/ Create exhibit is the answer. Featuring 20 versions of the iconic costume – based specifically on the model from Batman:
Arkham Knight – the gallery was open every day at San Diego’s Hard Rock hotel. Contributors included Will Arnett, Sara Blake, VNM Yardley and Buff Monster, as well as Nathan Sawaya who built a Lego version patterned like the first Batman Detective
Comics cover from 1939. Director Zack Snyder, bless him, simply replaced the cowl with a Rorschach outfit.
DANIEL RADCLIFFE ENJOYED HAVING HORNS
“Getting journalists to fight – I took pleasure in that scene…” Daniel Radcliffe presented a clip from the “tragic- comi- horror- dy” in which his Ig Perrish suggests that local reporters “beat the shit out of each other, and the winner gets an exclusive interview with me!” Next, he heads into a bar, discovering that his horns cause everyone to spill their darkest secrets, with the landlord acting on his impulse to torch the bar and collect the insurance payout.
THIS WAS RADCLIFFE’S FIRST TIME
Despite being the face of eight Harry Potter movies, Radcliffe had somehow avoided making the trip to San Diego until this year. Despite owning one of the most famous faces on the planet, however, he managed to wander the Con floor unrecognised thanks to a rather neat Spider- Man disguise.
THERE’S A NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA
Okay, this was announced just before Comic- Con, but the timing clearly wasn’t a coincidence. Marvel has confirmed that Steve Rogers is retiring after being sapped of his Super Serum powers. Sam “the Falcon” Wilson will take on Cap’s mantle in Rick Remender’s All- New Captain America.
THOR’S BECOMING A WOMAN
Marvel’s also making big changes on sister title Thor, having announced that Jason Aaron is writing a new series in which Mjölnir will find a new owner – a female hero whose identity is, for now, under wraps. “This is not She- Thor,” said Aaron. “This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe.”
MARVEL’S OFF TO A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
Having delivered its own take on space opera with Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel announced its return to the Star Wars Universe with three titles set after A New Hope. Jason Aaron, John Cassaday and Laura Martin will take on the ongoing Star Wars, Kieron Gillen will write Darth Vader, and Mark Waid and Terry Dodson have signed up for the five- issue Princess Leia. They’re due in 2015, and will be part of official Star Wars canon.
CAPTAIN KIRK WILL MEET DR ZAIUS
IDW and Boom! are hooking up for a Star Trek/ Planet Of The Apes crossover. Kirk and co will have to join forces with Dr Zaius’s orangutans after they discovers the Klingons are backing a renegade gorilla faction. Frankly they had us with the “Primate Directive” tagline.
COLIN FIRTH KNOWS HOW TO USE AN UMBRELLA
Director Matthew Vaughn dressed as Kick- Ass for a video introduction to his latest Mark Millar adaptation, Kingsman:
The Secret Service. He was joined by Mark Hamill ( dressed as Hit- Girl – seriously), who starred in the first clip as a kidnapped professor who’s almost rescued by Jack Davenport’s impossibly smooth agent. The second clip saw a slick Colin Firth taking out a pub’s worth of thugs with a gadget- packed umbrella and some electrifying choreography.
HELIX IS RELOCATING TO AN ISLAND
In its second season, Syfy’s Helix will move its team of scientists from their first- season arctic base to an island, where red herrings will add to the mystery. Showrunner Steven Maeda says he hopes year two will “take a smart audience, lead them down a path and then go, ‘ Nope. It’s not that.’”
“We’re doubling down on the crazy this year,” he says. “The show is a claustrophobic thriller. That’s what we’re trying to protect, moving into a new season. But also have fun with it and make it as crazy as we can.”
OUTLANDER IS THINKING ABOUT A SECOND SEASON
Ahead of its August launch, buzz was growing for Starz’s adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels, and showrunner Ronald D Moore was hopeful about a second season pick- up. “We’re already thinking about prepping and planning ahead how we would do certain things,” Moore explained. “In the second book we go to Paris and return to the 20th century and there’s Scotland again. We’re having conversations about how we’d realise some of those things.”
FALLING SKIES IS BRINGING I TS WAR TO AN END
Just before the con, TNT announced that Falling Skies would get a fifth and final season to bring the tale of
humanity’s fight against warring alien occupiers to a close. “What I wanted to bring to the show was a Cain and Abel struggle between these two brood mates of the Espheni, who were hateful to one another and deeply competitive,” said showrunner David Eick. “We don’t learn too much of the backstory except to know one regales in the failure of the other. Taking that idea in another step in season five has been tremendously fun.”
BOOK OF LIFE HAS TUNES
The Guillermo del Toro- produced Book Of Life presented a standalone clip that showed off the animated film’s USP – giving well- known songs a Mexican twist. So lead character Manolo ( Diego Luna) stood in the middle of a bullfighting arena, serenading Maria ( Zoe Saldana) with a rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep” ( albeit with a slight mariachi vibe).
WINTER IS COMING TO ONCE UPON A TIME
Since the reveal in the season finale that Frozen characters were coming to Once Upon A Time, there’s been some concern in the fandom that Disney’s smash hit won’t fit in their fairytale world. “We love Frozen and we think it fits thematically so well,” said co- creator Eddy Kitsis. “Frankly, Elsa reminded us of Emma and Regina and Anna reminded us of Snow White. We really felt they would fit well in our universe.”
UNDEAD UNICORNS
There are mounts in the third Dragon
Age game. We were shown horses but promised other creatures including an undead unicorn ( a zombie horse with a sword jutting from its head). You’ll need them to get around the vastly more open world than in previous games. Everything has been supersized: locations for sure – the demo took us to a revamped Redcliffe – but also dragons, with you able to target individual limbs now as part of your battle strategy.
TRUE LOVE WON’T RUN SMOOTH IN ORPHAN BLACK
There’s nothing quite as strong as a fan’s desire to watch two attractive characters hook up. So could Orphan Black’s Paul ( Dylan Bruce) and Sarah ( Tatiana Maslany) still be an item in the wake of his hooking up with her evil sister Rachel? “If you like a couple,” said Bruce, “you would always try to drive a wedge between them. The introduction of the Cal character really did that; and Paul harbours some guilt over what happened to Beth so he sees redemption in Sarah and he always has. So you never know. But not with Eyepatch Rachel! I don’t think he wants none of that any more!”
THE 100 PICKS UP WHERE I T LEFT OFF
Before showing a teaser of The 100’ s season two premiere, showrunner Jason Rothenberg revealed that, “The season is about these people coming together and emotional reunions. We’ll understand Mount Weather, who the Reapers are and how they got like that. We’ll understand the Grounders way more than we do, mainly through Lincoln and Octavia who take us into
that world pretty intensely.”
ASCENSION IS INSPIRED BY REAL- LIFE ( KINDA)
Syfy miniseries Ascension is loosely based on a Kennedy administration Cold War scheme called Project Orion. In the show 600 people in 1963 are secretly sent into space via a starship. Fifty years into the 100- year experiment, their utopia is disrupted. “When we open up the show a murder takes place and it’s the first act of real violence so it starts to unravel our strength,” said star Brian Van Holt. “It puts a question in many of the crew members’ minds about our mission and what is really going on.”
CATELYN STARK IS BACK FROM THE DEAD
In a cruel tease for Game Of Thrones fans wanting to see Lady Stoneheart, Cat Stark actress Michelle Fairley is being resurrected as one of the “returned” in
Resurrection. “She will play Jacob’s grandmother and Henry’s mother for the whole season,” revealed executive producer Michelle Fazekas. “She’s the mother- in- law from hell, literally. When the returned come back they tend to have secrets. Her secrets have to do with the family business and what that secret entails uncovers a big part about the returned phenomenon itself.”
NOT EVERY YEAR CAN BE VINTAGE
Much like Glastonbury, Comic- Con is so popular that you have to book your tickets well in advance, with no idea who or what is going to be on the bill. So while this year was rammed with more geeky stuff than you could shake a very nerdy stick at, there was a sense that many of the biggest movies, the real headline makers, had stayed away this time around. The likes of Star Wars: Episode VII, Jurassic World, Tomorrowland
and Terminator Genisys were conspicuous by their absence.
DOLPH LUNDGREN IS VERY, VERY BIG
Either that, or our ad manager Ade is very, very far away.