Comic-Con Day #3-4: Scott Pilgrim, 'Die Hard 5', and Even More 'Avengers'

The last two days of Comic-Con were a bit slower news-wise than the first, but we still got some great news from the entertainment world...



First, we get a little more information about where Joss Whedon will be taking The Avengers. In the video above, he discusses how he intends to keep the super squad "a family" but also keep the intense confrontations between the superheroes, especially between Iron Man and Captain America.

It looks like Mr. Whedon certainly knows his Avengers. But I'd expect no less from such a diligent and geeky filmmaker. The Avengers will be released in theaters in 2012, if all goes according to plan.



While discussing the upcoming action movie The Expendables with reporters, Bruce Willis mentioned that an announcement regarding Die Hard 5 "is imminent. The coin is about to drop."

I loved Live Free or Die Hard, and all of the other films starring our favorite New York Cop, John McClane, so I am excited to see what they'll dish up in this next sequel. It is impossible for them to beat the first Die Hard, but it is also very difficult to mess up an action movie starring Bruce Willis. More news about this will be reported right here as I find it...


Edgar Wright is a really great director. He directed Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and, most recently, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. I am super excited to see Scott Pilgrim. It's a great graphic novel, and the style of the film looks very unique and interesting. Some very, very lucky folks at Comic-Con got treated to a sneak peek of the film, and, according to CinemaBlend, it "plays well beyond the hype, an enormous burst of energy and imagination that both plays with every cinematic convention we know of and re-invents the form entirely." I am very excited to see the film. To read more about the screening at Comic-Con click here, and to read about the great panel on the film go here.


While we're talking about Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I thought I'd bring up the upcoming film, Paul, starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver, and Jason Bateman. It is being directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland). Here's the plot synopsis from IMDb: Two British comic-book geeks (Pegg and Frost) traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.

This should be a really funny movie, especially since it was written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Click here to read about the Paul Comic-Con panel.


Last (but certainly not least), here is a link to an article about Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens at Comic-Con. I am so excited to see this film. Jon Favreau is an excellent director, and I love that he is going to shoot Cowboys and Aliens in the style of the classic westerns. The film, which comes out in 2011, stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell.


If you can't get enough of this great Comic-Con news, here are some quick links, courtesy of /Film, Cinematical, and Cinema Blend:

• Goon panel. Goon is a CG-animated adaptation of Eric Powell's comic book series of the same name. It is being produced by David Fincher and stars Paul Giamatti.
• Thor, Captain America, and more Avengers.
• More on Snyder's Sucker Punch.
• First look at Super, a superhero flick starring Nathan Fillion (an excellent actor), Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, and Kevin Bacon.
• Seth Rogen on Green Hornet's "stunning" visuals.
• Super cool Comic-Con costumes and floor reports.
• Adam McKay is directing The Boys.

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Comic-Con Day #2: More Del Toro, Tron, and Ruffalo as 'The Hulk'

Day 2 from Comic-Con didn't bring many surprises. Nothing like Del Toro's announcement regarding The Haunted Mansion, or the sad news about The Hobbit. Still, there were some interesting things you might want to know coming out of San Diego today...

First, I'll keep you up to date on Del Toro--both on his Haunted Mansion project, and everything he's working on. Above you will find the official, just-released logo for the film. To read the full press release that accompanied the very cool and stylized logo, head over to /Film here.

Supposedly, the visionary filmmaker will only be writing and producing the theme park-inspired film, and not directing. Instead, he has a horror film and a stop-action Pinocchio in the works. I am excited for those. To read more about Del Toro's announcements of the day, click here.

Tron, Tron, Tron. You began as such a simple idea but have exploded into a cult phenomenon. Comic-Con loves you, I love you, and we all love hearing news about you. Oh, Tron, why must we wait longer to see you in your brilliant, computer-generated wonderfulness? Well, since we can't see you until December 17, we thank you for the above brand new still taken from the movie.

If that doesn't get you excited to see Tron: Legacy, I don't think anything will.

There was big news regarding The Avengers announced yesterday, and some new news today. Several weeks ago, I was very sad to discover that Edward Norton would not be reprising his role as The Hulk for Marvel's Avenger's film. He is my favorite actor, and I thought he made a great Bruce Banner. But, instead, Marvel has all but made it official that the new Hulk will be *sigh* Mark Ruffalo. Sure, he's an OK actor. Maybe even good occasionally (like in Shutter Island), but as the Hulk? Pa-lease. Don't make me laugh. They definitely should have stayed with Norton. Oh well, at least Ruffalo will be led by superstar Mr. Joss Whedon.

Above you will find a trailer for the recently announced DC Comics spinoff flick Red. Does it look a lot like the A-Team movie? Yes. That one Losers movie released a few months ago? Definitely. But, unlike those two films, this one actually looks good. And more action-y. Plus, it's starring Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Morgan Freeman.

Sign me up for two of those, please.

Remember yesterday how I said I'd have loved to be at that panel with J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon? Well, I couldn't be there. The next best thing to being there would have been a video of it. Well, we don't have that either, but we do have the next best thing after that: a transcription. Click over to /Film here to read through it. They talk about all kinds of different great stuff. It is definitely worth the read.

That's all there is to post for now, but as Comic-Con wraps up, I'm sure the studios will throw some more curve balls at us. Stay tuned here for all the latest Comic-Con, Disney, Pixar, and Movie news.

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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.

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New 'Airbender' Series Announced

Comic-Con 2010 has begun, and that means a flood of entertainment news. Nickelodeon has gotten the ball rolling this year with an announcement all about a spinoff of their Avatar: the Last Airbender franchise. No, they didn't announce another Shyamalan mess, but, thankfully, a whole new animated TV series.

Here is the official synopsis:

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and follows the adventures of the Avatar after Aang – a passionate, rebellious, and fearless teenage girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra.

Korra’s quest eventually leads her to Republic City–the epicenter of the world of “Avatar.” A metropolis powered by steampunk-type technology, the city is inhabited by people from all nations. Korra finds that Republic City suffers from rampant crime and is also dealing with an anti-bender revolt. Korra is tutored by Aang’s son, Tenzin, in the ways of airbending.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this yet. I am incredibly excited to see more animated Avatar, but it will be near-impossible for them to match the humor, suspense, and very deep character arcs of the original series. Can they replicate the slapstick comedy of Sokka? Maybe. The awesome philosophies of Iroh? I doubt it. The intense character of Zuko? Not in a million years.

But all of this is premature. After all, the original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are still heavily involved in the project. This new series starring a waterbender named Korra (who, according to execs at the studio, is "hot headed, independent, and ready to take on the world") could be just as great as the original. Or it could be a complete flop. We will find out in 2011 when this new series debuts on Nickelodeon.

Source: WSJ

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'Toy Story 3' at WonderCon 2010

WonderCon was held in San Francisco on Saturday, and Toy Story 3, it could be said, was at the heart of it. On hand to take part in a 'TS3' panel were director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla K. Anderson, and voice talents John Ratzenberger (Hamm), Kristen Schaal (Trixie), and Jeff Garlin (Buttercup). At this panel, audiences were treated to clips from the film, as well as scenes acted out by the actors.

Check out some photos below from the event:












Source: The Pixar Blog

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Pixar at Comic-Con (Great Reviews, and More!)

Comic-Con, the biggest film, comic, and television convention in the entire world, is underway! And, in my opinion, no one makes better films than Pixar. So, of course, they are there!

First, here is a great interview with John Lasseter, courtesy of /Film. Interviewed at Comic-Con, he talks about his approach to Pixar villains, as well as what the future holds for Imagineering! (Another great quote from John Lasseter at today's Pixar demonstration: "Toy Story came out in 1995. Think of how many kids were born since then. They only know us from the home videos. These films were meant to be seen on the big screen.") Enjoy the interview:



Here is another Comic-Con interview from /Film. This one's an interview with Lee Unkrich, director of upcoming Pixar film Toy Story 3:



This last bit of Comic-Con/Pixar news is the most exciting! Here are the pictures of the official LEGO minifigs of Toy Story set to be released next year:





Here is a small tidbit courtesy of Pixar Planet. It isn't really SDCC-related, but is Pixar merchandise related...


Here is an action figure of Carl Fredricksen, set to be released soon! Hot Toys of Tokyo, Japan will release a full line of these high quality Up action figures later this year!

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More Announced about 'UP' and 'Bolt'

Today at Comic-Con 2008 in San Diego, Disney had a Q&A session, as well as showed clips from the upcoming animated features. Here's an excerpt from an excellent transcript of the event from blog.spout.com:

Q: “I’ve know that a lot of you are Hayao Miyazaki fans, and the footage you showed us looked like it had a lot of his influences.”

A: “Wow, thank you for that. It’s true, a lot of us love Hayao Miyazaki. I had a chance to work on the English translation of that film, and I just love his attention to detail. There’s a shot in his film Totoro where the character is waiting for a bus, and they cut to a shot of a drop of water falling, and a frog… that sort of detail is just something I love.”

Q: “So what is the message that Pixar is trying to get across in this movie?

A: “Well, it’s all about drug trafficking, and….okay, no it’s not. We’re just trying to tell a good story with a heart, and that’s what we’re focusing on.”

As well as shedding some light on some unanswered questions, Disney has released the official site for UP. This site, right now, just contains the teaser trailer. Here is the link, as well as the trailer.

I know that you can't tell much from that trailer, but that's why they call it a teaser. Anyways, read this transcript of the whole Pixar affair from Comic-Con, it gives a lot of insight on the upcoming feature, UP, by the world's best animation studio.

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