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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Possible Replacements for Del Toro

Briefly: Wired has recently released a hilarious article that proposes five alternative directors to helm The Hobbit, but then quickly decides against all of them. These directors include Terry Gilliam whose "famed bad luck comes into play" and dooms the whole production, Tim Burton but "doubt sets in when Johnny Depp is brought on to play Gandalf," George Lucas who "changes the plot to be about Sauron's early life as an adorable toddler caught in the middle of a continent-spanning dispute over water rights," Michael Bay and Uwe Boll. There's some really funny stuff in there if you're as into movies as I am.

Source: Wired

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So Sad: Del Toro Quits 'Hobbit'

After the enormous success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, a two-part prequel, The Hobbit, was slated to be directed by acclaimed director Guillermo Del Toro. Known for his very artistic and quite eerie style, Del Toro is one of my favorite filmmakers, having directed the classics Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, and The Devil's Backbone.

That is why it is with great sadness that I report that Guillermo Del Toro has pulled out of directing The Hobbit. In a statement given by Del Toro, he stated that:

"In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming 'The Hobbit,' I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures."

It is true that the films have not been greenlit by the studios yet, meaning that financing and pre-production logistics could take quite some time. I can see why Del Toro is hesitant to be apart of a movie that is so unpredictable, because his plate is pretty full at the moment--in the next few years alone he has The Orphanage, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Witches, Pinocchio, Champions, and numerous other projects that he's occupied with. If I had that many film projects to keep track of, I'd do my best to stay clear of unpredictability.

It is a real shame that such a visual and unique director won't be apart of a film adaptation for one of the most beloved stories of all-time. I was really looking forward to seeing how he would interpret Tolkien's genius work. Oh well, hopefully producer Peter Jackson will be able to dig up someone just as creative, or, better yet, just direct the thing himself. After all, he did a perfectly fine job with The Lord of the Rings.

Source: Variety

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