Comic-Con 2008: HBO’s “True Blood” Panel [UPDATE] July 24, 2008 11:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, HBO, News, Television, True Blood.1 comment so far
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 12:00PM: /Film has put up their report on the panel for this series, and they’ve also added a few photos from the presentation and other misc. promotional material on the show at Comic-Con. Read the report at this link.
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HBO held a panel discussion on their upcoming vampire drama True Blood (premieres September 7th at 9pm). Cast and crew in attendance were Alan Ball, Charlaine Harris, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell and Nelsan Ellis. Here are the highlights courtesy TVSquad.com.
- A trailer was shown.
- Harris is working on the 9th book in the series right now.
- Alan Ball said the show will be true to the book as much as possible without making Paquin work every single day on the set.
- Lafayette runs a gay porn website in the show, unlike in the books, and to that Harris said: “I’m good with it.” That got a laugh out of the crowd.
- The casting of Quinn. Harris said he’s her “personal homage to Vin Diesel.”
- Alan Ball said he didn’t want to give away whether Bubba would be on the show.
- Only three days of shooting are left and then the season is wrapped.
- Alan Ball said he doesn’t have time to check up on what fans are saying online. All he can do is try to be as strue to Harris’ vision and he takes fans of the books seriously.
- The first season will basically be book one and at least for the most part not show anything from the second book.
You can read the full report at this link.
Comic-Con 2008: Jackman Makes Surprise Appearance, Shows Off “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” Footage [UPDATE] July 24, 2008 11:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.add a comment
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 1:00PM: Despite not creating the character Wolverine, Stan Lee will have a cameo in the film. [MoviesOnline.ca]
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20th Century Fox had a special treat for fans attending the studio’s presentation today at Comic-Con. The actor, who plays Wolverine/Logan in the upcoming X-Men spinoff X-Men Origins: Wolverine presented to a crowd footage from the film.
Here’s what was shown, via IGN:
The trailer-like sequence opens with Logan and Creed in a military prison cell where they survived execution by firing squad for decapitating a senior officer. They are met by Colonel William Stryker, who offers them a chance to serve their country by taking part in the Weapon X program. We then saw glimpses of the team’s different members: Blob, Deadpool. Wraith and, in perhaps the biggest mass geekgasm Hall H has ever heard, Gambit.
We then see Logan in the tank where he undergoes the adamantium process, awakening in a beserker rage and slashing down a number of guards. Stryker then calls on Creed, clad in a black trenchcoat and black outfit, to hunt down his old Army buddy Logan. You can imagine how that turns out.
The footage showed Gambit tossing his trademark cards and riding a motorcycle. There was plenty of shots from a chase sequence between Wolverine on a motorcycle, Army trucks and a helicopter. The wartime sequences appear to be set in the Vietnam era, with the New Zealand countryside doubling for Southeast Asia.
Click here to read ComingSoon.net’s report on the panel.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters on May 1, 2009.
Comic-Con 2008: “Battlestar Galactica”-Related Panels [UPDATE] July 24, 2008 11:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Battlestar Galactica, Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, News, Sci Fi, Television.add a comment
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 12:15pm: TV Squad has put up their report from the panel. Read it at this link.
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There are several panels going on at Comic-Con this week related to the SCI FI series Battlestar Galactica, and the Galactica SitRep blog is on top of all the events. Here is some of what’s going on:
- SCIFI.com forums members have a pinned thread at the site set up to discuss the Con and share experiences and photos and what not.
- Wired, Discover blog, and io9 have observations from today’s BSG 30th Anniversary panel that included Richard Hatch, Bear McCreary, Tom DeSanto and Kevin Grazier.
- io9 has a post up discussing the 2001 aborted Bryan Singer BSG project: “…Singer’s production company was working on a $13.5 million backdoor pilot for a new BSG, which would air on Fox and then on the Sci Fi Channel. The episodes would have been letterboxed, and the repeat airings on Sci Fi would have had extra footage. DeSanto said the story of the humans “forgetting their purpose” and living in super-capitalist decadence on New Caprica mirrored what he was seeing of his friends during the tech boom around 1999-2000, with people obsessing about their stock portfolios. And just like the Cylon attacks in the abortive Singer pilot, 9/11 brought people back to a sense of purpose.”
I’ll post more when I see it.
Comic-Con 2008: “Red Sonja” Panel + “Conan” News [UPDATE x2] July 24, 2008 11:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Conan, Movies, News, Red Sonja.add a comment
UPDATED 7/26/2008 AT 7:15PM: ComingSoon.net has put up a new article featuring several interviews with the cast and crew. Check it out at this link.
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 12:45PM: /Film has put up their report from the presentation. Read it at this link. Also, some photos from the panel and the film have also been released, including two posters. Check them out after the jump.
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Robert Rodriquez was present at the panel for Red Sonja, starring Rose McGowan. No footage has been shot yet, so the panel consisted mostly of promotional images that showed McGowan in character. One such promotional photo has been prepared as a mini-poster and will be handed out to fans after the panel.
Rodriquez told audience members that because of other commitments he won’t be able to direct ‘Sonja’, which will instead be directed by his friend Douglas Aarniokoski.
But perhaps the bigger news to come out of the panel was that Rodriquez revealed he’s in early talks to produce the upcoming Conan film. ComingSoon.net promises poster art and exclusive interviews with Rodriquez, McGowan, Aarniokoski and writer David White later in the day.
Comic-Con 2008: “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” + Torchwood Star Up For Role as Captain America? [UPDATE] July 24, 2008 11:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Captain America, Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Doctor Who, Movies, News, Sci Fi, Television, Torchwood.1 comment so far
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 12:15PM: The trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas 2008 special that was screened at the panel has been leaked on YouTube. Check it out at this link, or embedded after the jump.
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Writers Julie Gardner and Steven Moffat were in attendance today at the Doctor Who panel. Here are some highlights courtesy TVSquad:
- Series 5’s premiere was being written on the plane over by Steven Moffat.
- Steven Moffat is hilarious. When asked about writing for the show: “I decided to give up a life of friends to write for it” and “a life of virginity has kept me pure.”
- Gardner asked Moffat about the first time writing “INTERIOR: Tardis” in a script. Moffat said it was like giving him “an enormous toy to play with.”
- Some highlights were shown from episodes Steven Moffat wrote. One was an episode about a spaceship from the 51st century stalking a woman from 18th century, ‘Blink’, an episode about “The Library,” though not an episode about “The Empty Child,” which Moffat wrote and he was disappointed wasn’t shown.
- An attendee mentioned attending a reading by Niel Gaiman where she asked him if he’d write an episode of Doctor Who with Moffat, to which he said “would be nice.” Moffat replied with the same “that would be nice.” So who knows? Hell I’d start watching this show if that happened!
- Lots of questions were asked that could be big spoilers, and Moffat simply wouldn’t say a word about them or would jokingly whisper the answer to Gardner. There was one mention of one character having met more than one of the Doctors before, but I’ll have to go back to listen to that again.
- When asked about whether he had a hard time getting into the country for Comic-Con, Moffat joked, “Yes! I don’t know if you know this about your country, but you hate us!”
- We were treated to an extended trailer for the 2008 Christmas episode, featuring the return of the Cybermen.
There was also a panel for the Doctor Who spin off Torchwood, where it was revealed that the series was just this morning given a green light for a third season. It will air first in the U.K., followed by a US release shortly thereafter.
Also, Steven Moffat gave an interview with ComingSoon.net. Click here to read it.
Also, John Barrowman, star of Torchwood, was just asked at the panel forthe show if ther was any possibility he would be playing Captain America in the upcoming film The First Avenger: Captain America (May 6, 2011). Here’s what Barrowman said (via ComingSoon.net):
He smiled and gave the stock answer that he’d love to play the character and that Captain America has always been his favorite comic book superhero. Clearly, though, the notion did not take him by surprise and he ended up admitting there had been discussions with his agents and meetings on that very issue.
Comic-Con 2008: Title Change for “Wizard’s First Rule”, Now Called “Legend of the Seeker” + New Trailer July 24, 2008 10:56 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Legend of the Seeker, News, Syndication, Television, Wizard's First Rule.5 comments
The biggest news out of the panel for the Sam Raimi produced Syndicated series Wizard’s First Rule, was that the show has a new title: Legend of the Seeker. According to the panelists and the author, Terry Goodkind, the name change was made to focus on the hero of the book, rather than the main book of the series. Here are some highlights from the panel courtesy TVSquad.com.
- The show will begin airing in Syndication on November 1st (filming has already begun) and has been cleared in about 97% of the nation. It will air on Saturday nights.
- The first season will be 22 episodes, including the two-hour season premiere. Each episode will be standalone and feature a beginning and an end. It will cover the main plot points of Wizard’s First Rule.
- Everyone on the panel agreed that the syndication market was the right avenue for the series.
- They announced that Bruce Spence (The Matrix Revolutions) will portray Zedd and Jay Laga’aia (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith) will portray the boundary patrolman Chase.
Click here to read the full report and to check out some photos from the panel.
They also debuted a new trailer which can be found at this link.
Comic-Con 2008: New “Eagle Eye” Clip and Viral July 24, 2008 10:28 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Eagle Eye, Movie Trailers, Movies, News, Viral.add a comment
Today at Comic-Con, DreamWorks/Paramount unveiled a new extended clip from the D.J. Caruso-directed thriller Eagle Eye, starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie and Billy Bob Thornton. The clip can be viewed at this link and promotes an upcoming viral game at EagleEyeMovie.com/FreeFall, which itself launches on September 5th.
Synopsis
In the wake of his overachieving twin brother’s mysterious death, a young slacker (Shia LaBeouf) learns that he and a single mother (Michelle Monaghan) have been framed as terrorists by an unknown source in this thriller from Disturbia director D.J. Caruso. As a result of the accusation, the desperate pair is forced into an alliance with a dangerous sleeper cell preparing to carry out a high-profile political assassination. Only by infiltrating and exposing the masterminds behind this diabolical plot will the unjustly accused pair be able to prove their innocence and prevent a series of catastrophic events from unfolding. Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Michael Chiklis co-star.
Eagle Eye hits theaters on September 26.
Comic-Con 2008: “Twilight” Audio Interviews July 24, 2008 10:13 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Interviews, Movies, Twilight.add a comment
UPDATED 7/26/2008 AT 8:00am: I forgot to add in /Film’s report on the panel (click here to check it out) and the site also has another update on the film at Comic-Con at this link.
Several members of the press were invited to a sit down with the cast and crew of Twilight. The interviews were recorded and are available to download and listen to via ShockTillYouDrop. The download links are provided below. There was also a new batch of photos from the film that were released that I posted on the site yesterday. Be sure to check those out at this link.
Catharine Hardwicke & Stephenie Meyer
Robert Pattinson & Rachelle Lefevre
Synopsis
Adapted from the best-selling novel by author Stephenie Meyer, Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown director Catherine Hardwicke’s supernatural teen drama Twilight tells the tale of Bella (Kristen Stewart), a 17-year-old girl who moves to a small town to live with her father and becomes enamored with a mysterious classmate (Robert Pattinson), who turns out to be a vampire.
Twilight hits theaters on December 12, 2008.
“The Wolfman” Site Goes Live + New Photo July 24, 2008 10:07 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, The Wolfman, Websites.add a comment
Universal has opened up the official site for their 2009 horror film The Wolfman. Check it out at TheWolfmanMovie.com. There’s also a new photo released from the movie (teased at the right). Check it out after the jump.
Synopsis
Universal Studios resurrects the classic lycanthrope with this tale of an American who experiences an unsettling transformation after returning to his ancestral home in Victorian-era Great Britain and being attacked by a rampaging werewolf. Benicio Del Toro stars as the unfortunate bite victim in a film penned by Sleepy Hollow scribe Andrew Kevin Walker, with Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, and Hugo Weaving co-starring and makeup maestro Rick Baker providing the physical effects. Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) picked up the directing duties after music video veteran Mark Romanek famously quit the production weeks before shooting was scheduled to begin.
The Wolfman hits theaters on April 3, 2009.
Aronofsky and Self Confirmed for “Robocop” July 24, 2008 9:58 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, RoboCop.add a comment
Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain) is no longer the rumored director of the upcoming Robocop installment. MGM today announced that they’ve signed Aronofsky to direct and David Self (Road to Perdition) to write a new installment for its RoboCop franchise. The press release follows after the jump.
Comic-Con 2008: “Tron 2” Teaser Debut + Jeff Bridges Returning July 24, 2008 9:49 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Movies, News, Tron 2.add a comment
Disney treated Comic-Con goers to a pleasant surprise today, as the studio unveiled the first teaser trailer/footage for the highly anticipated sequel to the 1982 film Tron. Here’s what was shown (via ComingSoon.net):
A blue figure – obviously on the run – is being tracked down by a yellow figure on a cycle. The blue figure dives forward with a bar in hand. Around the bar – and figure – a super sleek blue lightcycle forms and the chase in on.
The figures are cool updates of the 1982 warriors. Gone are the glowing blue/red/yellow faces, now replaced by helmets with clear facemasks housing what looks like holographs of human faces.
The cycles dip and dodge through a translucent, multi-level track that appears both digital and organic. The blue cycle is forced down a narrow crevasse between two ledges while the yellow bike takes the high road. The blue cycle emerges at the end of the path only to be cut off by the yellow bike’s ‘laser trail’. The blue bike smashes into a million pieces sending the blue rider flying in slow motion and flipping through the air. He lands and skids to a halt.
All of this activity is being observed from a high, cliff-side structure by a human figure – an older, bearded Kevin Flynn! Played again by Jeff Bridges, a very serene looking Flynn appeared first in a meditative position in the center of a large room. He arises, then walks to the window and peers down onto the action below.
The yellow figure ‘retracts’ his lightcycle walks over to the downed blue figure… and finishes the job.
The footage ended with a ‘2’ appearing in the traditional Tron font and the TR2N emerging around it. The TRN faded away leaving the 2 alone on the screen again.
Click here for another account of the presentation (via /Film).
Comic-Con 2008: New ‘Punisher: War Zone’ Poster [UPDATE] July 24, 2008 8:00 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movie Posters, Movies, News, The Punisher: War Zone.add a comment
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 2:00PM: The extended red-band trailer that was shown at the panel has been released online. Check it out at this link via IGN, or watch it embedded after the jump.
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SuperHeroHype got their hands on a brand new poster for The Punisher: War Zone [October 5, 2008]. Check it out below.
(click to enlarge)
Comic-Con 2008: “Max Payne” Press Conference July 24, 2008 6:59 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Max Payne, Movies, News.add a comment
UPDATED 7/26/2008 AT 2:15pm: ComingSoon.net has put up another report on the panel. Read it at this link.
Star Mark Wahlberg & Mila Kundis and director John Moore were on hand at the press conference for the videogame adaptation of Max Payne, from 20th Century Fox (October 17, 2008). Here are some highlights courtesy ComingSoon.net:
- Certain elements in the story were taken from the Max Payne sequel.
- “Max can’t rest until he finds the third killer (of his wife and child),” said Moore. “I believe he does want to find him and then rest. You get the sense throughout the film that once Max gets this third guy, he’s done. But just at the end of the film he realizes that he wouldn’t be doing his wife and child, so he wants to live on.”
- Wahlberg was hesitant to do the film at first upon learning it was based on a video game, but came around after reading the script: “I love playing this character, especially after playing a science teacher and playing an accountant,” said Wahlberg. “It’s a nice change of pace.”.
- Moore said one of his goals with Wahlberg and Max Payne was to build a character that people would reference in the future, citing early Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan.
- Mila Kundis, who is acting in her first action film, was excited: “It was awesome,” said Kundis. “I’ve never done anything with action. I can barely walk without tripping. I never shot a gun, but now I can take one apart and put it together.”
Comic-Con 2008: Hasbro’s “G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra” Panel July 24, 2008 6:29 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra, GI Joe, Movies, News.1 comment so far
Hasbro Toys today hosted a panel at Comic-Con to talk about their plans for their upcoming film slate. Hasbro talked extensively about their next live-action film G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra and other projects related to the movie, including a new animated web-series. Here are some highlights courtesy ComingSoon.net:
Before talking about the feature film, footage was screened from an upcoming animated web-series inspired by the ’80s cartoon series and the long-running Marvel comics. Tilted “G.I. Joe: Resolute,” the series is planned as a 60-minute movie, split into five-minute segments to air first on the web and to later be collected on DVD.
Moving on to the live-action Joe, film consultant Larry Hama (who also has a cameo as a General) talked about how he came onboard to maintain the feeling of his famous comic book run. Of Hama’s involvement, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura laughed saying, “We wanted to have Snake Eyes say one line. He made sure we didn’t.” This, of course, was met with much applause from the audience.
Lorenzo then went through some images of the cast (the same that we previously released), talking a little about each character’s personal history, revealing that when the film begins, none of the characters are Joes and are enlisted through the course of the plot. More from ComingSoon.net on that aspect:
- Duke and Baroness were paired together on-screen as their history is one of the major relationships of the film. Once engaged, Duke left the Baroness at the altar and they now find themselves on opposite sides of the battle.
- Marlon Wayans (who was cast because of his performance in Requiem for a Dream) has a humorous relationship with Scarlett who is completely oblivious to his advances. Lorenzo stressed, though, that it was important to have a dramatic side as well, especially since it becomes a triangle with Snake Eyes.
- Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes are featured in the film early-on as ten-year old kids, exploring their rivalry from a very early age.
- A few stills were shown, including one of the epic-looking MARS base set in the arctic. Lorenzo promised action on a global scale as the film has a larger budget than the first Transformers. De Santos explained that there are only four big action scenes but that we’ll all be blown away by exactly how big they are.
IGN also has a gallery of the character photos, which you can check out at this link.
Comic-Con 2008: “The Day The Earth Stood Still” Panel July 24, 2008 6:22 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Movies, News, The Day the Earth Stood Still.add a comment
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 6:00PM: ComingSoon.net has put up their report of the panel. Read it at this link.
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20th Century Fox had stars Keanu Reeves (Klaatu) and Jennifer Connelly (Dr. Helen Benson) and director Scott Derrickson and producer Erwin Stoff present at the panel for The Day The Earth Stood Still. The studio presented an exclusive first look at the 1951 sci-fi remake, showing three scenes from the film. Here are some highlights, courtesy IGN:
- Derrickson spoke of his love for the works of Robert Wise, the director of the original TDTESS, and how he had the opportunity to meet Wise when he was a young film student.
- Stoff recalled how he first tried to develop a remake fifteen years earlier and had his Speed star in mind for Klaatu even then.
- The first scene that was screened showed Klaatu being brought to a compound in custody where is interrogated by a government agent. Klaatu, however, turns the tables on is captors in a most shocking manner. He discovers how he can escape from the base, steals the suit from his interrogator and takes out his guards without ever having to lift a finger.
- Reeves said that Klaatu is contained in a human body and is not as warm or human as his 1951 incarnation. Derrickson said that, as with the original movie, he wanted to keep the story very much in the real world with just a few elements not of this world. He wanted a more organic and different feel than was in the original and less mechanical.
- Derrickson said Klaatu will discover what it is about humanity that is remarkable, and commended Reeves for his subtle performance.
- Derrickson also confirmed that Gort would appear in the movie, contrary to earlier Web rumors.
- The panel then presented an extended clip highlighting the movie’s (still unfinished) special effects. Much of it was seen in the trailer, but the film’s global scope was evident in its scenes in China and Egypt. The spaceship was like a small planet rising from the ocean to wipe the earth clean.
The Day the Earth Stood Still opens December 12. Click here to read another accounting from the panel (from /Film) and here for another (from ComingSoon.net).
Comic-Con 2008: Summit Pictures Panel on “Knowing” and “Push” + Proyas Not Directing “Silver Surfer” Movie July 24, 2008 6:11 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Knowing, Movies, News, Push, Silver Surfer.1 comment so far
Summit Pictures’ presentation today at Comic-Con included exclusive footage from sci-fi thrillers Knowing and Push. Summit screened never-before-seen footage from the two movies. Stars Chris Evans, Djimon Hounsou, Camilla Belle and director Paul McGuigan were on the panel for Push (February 2009). Here are some highlights from IGN’s report:
The opening credits of Push were shown, which recounts how the Nazis’ experiments into psychic warfare beget an ongoing persecution of those with psychic abilities by government agencies. Dakota Fanning, who also stars in the film, narrates the titles sequence, which is comprised primarily of vintage newsreel footage of government experiments, warfare and civil unrest.
Hounsou spoke about his role as federal agent Carver who is out to hunt down the psychics. A scene was shown where Carver uses his ability to push memories onto people to make a man shoot himself. Belle’s character Kira is, like Carver, a “pusher” who can push memories onto other people. She is the only survivor of a special drug that the government agency The Division has been using on psychics. Evans plays Nick Gant, a telekinetic (or “mover”) gambler who has taken refuge in Hong Kong.
During the Q&A, McGuigan and Evans explained that there are other super-powered people including sniffers (who can sniff a glass and find out the history of the person who just used it), wipers (who can wipe your memory), and shadows (who can cloak a person). All the panelists cited the script as the reason why they signed on.
Read the rest here.
Moving to Knowing, director Alex Proyas presented exclusive clips from the film, which stars Nicolas Cage as a teacher who finds a time capsure that prophesises the apocalypse. Proyas presented the trailer to the audience, which premired a few weeks back. More highlights:
Proyas sang Nic Cage’s praises and that he always wanted to work with him. Both director and actor wanted the character and story to be as realistic as possible, with Proyas citing The Exorcist as the kind of movie that melded realism with a fantastical premise that he and Cage hoped to emulate. The director also said that the relationship between Cage and his character’s son is the heart of the movie. Rose Byrne plays the daughter of the little girl who, as seen in the trailer, wrote these terrible predictions down. Although Proyas refused to get into details about how they came up with the numerical code because it would delve too deeply into plot spoilers, he did say that they did research into various theories to lend some credence of scientific fact to the code.
Also, Proyas layed to rest the rumor that he would be directing the Silver Surfer movie. From /Film:
“Unfortunately that is just a rumor. I don’t know where that came from,” Proyas told the crowd at Comic Con. “I do like Silver Surfer, but I’m not going to be doing it.”
Comic-Con 2008: NBC’s “Kings” Panel July 24, 2008 6:00 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, Kings, NBC, News, Television.add a comment
The audience at NBC’s panel for the upcoming series Kings, were treated to the first 20 minutes of the pilot. Heroes star Greg Grunberg moderated the panel, noting that he’d seen the pilot and was a huge fan of it and decided to drive down to San Diego the night before “because I’m such a geek.” Here are the highlights from the panel, courtesy TVSquad:
- Greg Grunberg (Heroes) came out to introduce and moderate, then we were shown 20 minutes of the pilot.
- The initial 20 minutes from the pilot felt very movie-like. Everyone has these orange flags with a butterfly emblem (pictured in the button in the gallery). Ian McShane plays the king of a place that looks a lot like our Earth — scenes show a very New York-like city, called “Shiloh.” Even watches have the butterfly emblem. Flashbacks to a battle at the “Northern Border”. A soldier, David, takes out an enemy tank known as “Goliath” while trying to save fellow soldiers from captivity. Unbeknownst to David, one of those soldiers is the king’s son. This turns David into an overnight hero.
- Grunberg joked that the only thing he found wrong with the show was that he wasn’t in it.
- Present at the panel: Michael Green, Francis Lawrence, Erwin Stoff, Sebastian Stan, Susanna Thompson and Allison Miller (who I thought looked 13 up there).
- Ian was late and never showed up, apparently in traffic, since his message, read to us by Green, was “if those cocksuckers don’t get off the motherfucking road and let me get to the motherfucking convention center…”
- Michael Green said he went and took a risk, went with the wildest idea to NBC and they went with it.
- The show shoots in New York City.
- Stoff noted the butterfly motif from I Am Legend, which he was a part of. He also mentioned that a David & Goliath retelling for Universal was being worked on, though I’m guessing that’s not happening.
- Chris Egan is Australian, so there’s another possible ‘Excellence in Outsourcing’ award nominee for you.
- The battle scenes were shot right outside JFK airport.
- An attendee asked if the whole monarchy aspect was supposed to be ominous as related to … current situations in the US. Stoff indicated it’s more of a parallel with how corporations are held, with a CEO having this overwhelming power over a large amount of people.
- When asked how it was working with McShane, Sebastian Stan joked “he’s a puppy.”
- The show is set to premiere February 2009 with a two-hour pilot.
Click here to read IGN’s accounting of the panel.
Kings premieres on NBC in 2009.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Wednesday, July 23, 2008 July 24, 2008 1:57 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
Your Entertainment Now 