Comic-Con Day #1: Guillermo, Avengers, Tron, and More

Comic-Con is a yearly gathering of entertainment buffs and geeks. It is the mecca of movies to which only the most hardcore nerds pay pilgrimage. And, being such a respected event, it is always the place for studios to reveal their most exciting news. So, after day one of Comic-Con, here is a big news post for you to find out what there is to know coming out of San Diego today.

This first bit of news isn't really news at all, but more of a confirmation of what we already knew: Joss Whedon is directing The Avengers. He announced this while on stage with fellow geek director J.J. Abrams (I would have loved to be at that panel discussion with Joss and J.J.). Whedon says that he was a fan of the early Avengers comics, and that he is "excited and humbled at having the opportunity to direct the film". As a Whedon fan (especially Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog) and an Avengers fan, I am very excited to see what the combination of the two will result in. Something epic, no doubt.

Also, the two above images were just released today from Comic-Con. Click to embiggen. (They're pretty massive--desktop wallpaper anyone?)

This next news story is definitely the most exciting of the day: Guillermo Del Toro will be co-writing and directing The Haunted Mansion! He will be roughly basing the film on the theme park ride, and, more specifically, the Hat Box Ghost. And, don't worry, Eddie Murphy won't be anywhere near this one. Del Toro humorously commented that "we are not returning Eddie Murphy's calls." He also said that "We are not making a comedy. We are making it into an e-ticket ride. It will be scary and fun, but the scary parts WILL be scary."

While speaking to THR, Guillermo said that "Walt Disney is one of the creators of some of the scariest images in my childhood. People forget that he not only made sweet images but also images of nightmare. We to honor that side of the legacy."

I agree with him on that point. I am very, very excited to see what the visionary director has in store for the grim, grinning ghosts.

While on the topic of Guillermo Del Toro, a panel at Comic-Con today made it sound as if The Hobbit is having major production issues, and may be released several years from now, if at all. The panel is said to have been like the setting of a morgue. Read more at Obsessed with Film here. It's really too bad...

Above you will find one of the many maquettes for WETA/Peter Jackson's Wind in the Willows. They were on the floor at Comic-Con today, and look really great. The film will be live-action with animatronics. Very cool. I can't wait to see what the team behind Lord of the Rings does with the classic tale from Kenneth Grahame.

Since it was announced two years ago, Tron Legacy has always been a huge topic among the Comic-Con crowd. So, this year, Disney showed 8 full minutes from the film to the mesmerized crowd. For a synopsis on what they got to see, head over to /Film.

That's all of the Comic-Con news for today, but come back tomorrow because there is sure to be another tidal wave of news all about Disney, Pixar, Movies, and everything in-between.