Comic-Con 2008 Coverage Preview!
Michael here. I'll be in San Diego covering Comic-Con for MarketSaw from Thursday through Sunday, updating as often as possible (let us hope the free wifi in the convention center stands up to the 140,000 attendees!)
There will be several 3D related panels this year, including UP and Bolt from Disney/Pixar on Saturday and the NASA-sponsored, Star Trek-actor-filled Quantum Quest on Thursday. And, of course, I'll be attending Warner Bros.' Terminator Salvation event on Saturday, where Avatar actor Sam Worthington might be on hand, and Thursday's Fox panel, where The Day the Earth Stood Still and Max Payne are the only films announced so far to have a presence at the panel...but, as any regular conventioneer knows, however, surprises are a dime a dozen at the Con. Might there be an Avatar-related announcement at the Con? If there is, the Fox panel is where it will most likely be!
The panels:
Thursday, July 24
11:30-1:00 20th Century Fox: The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne—
Stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, plus director Scott Derrickson and producer Erwin Stoff, present an exclusive look at The Day The Earth Stood Still, Fox's contemporary reinvention of its 1951 classic. Keanu is Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet triggers a global upheaval. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the visitor's appearance, a woman (Jennifer) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission—and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend to the Earth." Klaatu Barada Nikto.
The legendary interactive video game Max Payne comes to the big screen, telling the story of a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal. "Max Payne" himself—Mark Wahlberg—will be on hand with Mila Kunis, Ludacris, and director John Moore to discuss turning the game's noirish, hard-hitting, and complex world and characters into a movie event. Hall H
3:30-4:30 Quantum Quest— This stellar panel will introduce Comic-Con audiences to Quantum Quest, the 3-D, large format CGI-animated film designed to both excite and educate young audiences about the wonders of science. Joining the panel will be co-directors Dr. Harry Kloor (Star Trek Voyager) and Dan St. Pierre (Everyone’s Hero, Shark Tales), voice actorsBrent Spiner (Indpendence Day, Star Trek: The Next Generation), Robert Picardo (Star Trek), Gary Graham (Enterprise), Anousheh Ansari, the world’s first female private space explorer whose blog from space thrilled millions of visitors daily, and Charles Kohlhase, the NASA/JPL coordinator for the film. Shawn Clement, the film’s composer, rounds out the panel. Ballroom 20
11:30-1:00 20th Century Fox: The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne—
Stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, plus director Scott Derrickson and producer Erwin Stoff, present an exclusive look at The Day The Earth Stood Still, Fox's contemporary reinvention of its 1951 classic. Keanu is Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on our planet triggers a global upheaval. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the visitor's appearance, a woman (Jennifer) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission—and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend to the Earth." Klaatu Barada Nikto.
The legendary interactive video game Max Payne comes to the big screen, telling the story of a maverick cop determined to track down those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. Hell-bent on revenge, his obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmare journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal. "Max Payne" himself—Mark Wahlberg—will be on hand with Mila Kunis, Ludacris, and director John Moore to discuss turning the game's noirish, hard-hitting, and complex world and characters into a movie event. Hall H
3:30-4:30 Quantum Quest— This stellar panel will introduce Comic-Con audiences to Quantum Quest, the 3-D, large format CGI-animated film designed to both excite and educate young audiences about the wonders of science. Joining the panel will be co-directors Dr. Harry Kloor (Star Trek Voyager) and Dan St. Pierre (Everyone’s Hero, Shark Tales), voice actorsBrent Spiner (Indpendence Day, Star Trek: The Next Generation), Robert Picardo (Star Trek), Gary Graham (Enterprise), Anousheh Ansari, the world’s first female private space explorer whose blog from space thrilled millions of visitors daily, and Charles Kohlhase, the NASA/JPL coordinator for the film. Shawn Clement, the film’s composer, rounds out the panel. Ballroom 20
Saturday, July 26
1:15-2:00 Warner Bros.: Terminator Salvation— In the highly anticipated new installment of The Terminator film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in has been altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind. Hall H
2:30-3:30 Disney Pixar: Bolt and UP—
For superdog Bolt, every day is filled with adventure, danger and intrigue, at least until the cameras stop rolling. Be the first to see exclusive animation as directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard present the new 3D comedy-adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios!
Then it's UP: From the inventive storytellers that have taken you into the worlds of space, toys, and superheroes comes the extraordinary adventure that will take you to a lost world where anything can happen, and everything will. Meet director Peter Docter (Monsters, Inc.) as he presents the first-ever look at Disney Pixar's new animated 3D adventure comedy, UP. Hall H
