With the San Diego Comic Con whetting the appetite for geeks and freaks all over the world, Lewis Swift runs down the top 5 moments from this years convention.
5) The first picture from Cowboys and Aliens!
Whilst Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s graphic novel series retains a relatively cult status for now, chances are, when the film adaptation is released this time next year copies of the genre bending romp will be flying off the shelves. The man in charge of further lining Rosenberg’s pockets is none other than John Favreau, the man who made Iron Man into a phenomenon. Whilst initially rumoured to be another project for The Fav and his go to guy Robert Downey Jr, scheduling issues forced Fav to look further from home, finally settling on none other than Daniel Craig for the lead.
Although only a single image it does typify the novel astutely. A Stetson and a futuristic hand laser gizmo may seem an odd concoction but clearly it works and the same can be said for the entire concept. When Aliens land in 1800’s frontier land, feuding Cowboys and Apaches are forced to unite to save humanity. I can think of no one better suited to helm such a bonkers concept than The Fav and with Lost’s Damon Lindelof on script duties we can expect a perfect blend of wit and weird. If the solitary picture does have a failing it’s that it fails to articulate the truly impressive ensemble cast who will be lending their thespian talents to the pulp wonder. Backing up Craig will be Olivia Wilde (House), Walton Goggins (Justified), Paul Dano, Sam Rockwell, Keith Carradine and Harrison “It’s about time I made a decent movie” Ford. Could be next years District 9.
4)New Tron Legacy Trailer!
Whilst I would never admit it aloud the first Tron Legacy trailer felt like a bit of a letdown. Whilst aged ten, light cycles and space paranoids were enough to keep my nose pressed to the screen and my jaw rested firmly on the floor, the older, more cynical me felt the whole thing seemed a little… shallow. That was of course until Joseph Kosinski unveiled the new, more comprehensive trailer. With more of an actual narrative on show and no sign of Sark or the MCP the trailer seems to hint at the unlikeliest of villains (as opposed to simply Michael Sheen’s Castor).
On top of all this the special effects appear slicker and more polished, especially the digitally de-aged Jeff Bridges. It would appear that Disney’s decision to shift a portion of the effects load over to their computer whiz chums at Pixar has paid off in a big way!
3) Harvey Pekar does Strange Tales!
Like a lot of comic book enthusiasts the Summer sun was darkened by the sad news of the death of indie comic king Harvey Pekar who passed away on the twelth of July. Pekar, the guy who’d already defeated Lymphoma back in the 90’s, documenting it in the hilariously acerbic Our Cancer Year graphic novel was some what of a bitter hero of mine and the thought of a world devoid of Pekar’s cynical musings caused me to reach for my American Splendour Best of. To my pleasant surprise solice came a few weeks later from an unlikely source. In one of their smaller Comic Con announcements Marvel announced a follow up to the popular ‘Strange Tales’ comics. For those of you staring blankly at the computer screen right now the ‘Strange Tales’ mini-series was released last year and featured stories and art work by acclaimed indie artists the world over.
Notable by his absence of course was Pekar. I can only imagine then the roar that went up when it was announced that Pekar had completed an instalment and would be joining the likes of Jeff Lemire, Alex Robinson and Ty Templeton in the follow up due for release in October of this year.
2) The Walking Dead trailer!
Something I’ve been following closely since its recent confirmation is the television adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s hugely popular zombie comic The Walking Dead. Whilst I always thought that the comics would be ripe for a live action adaptation, I assumed the diehard (pun intended) fans would be displeased by anything less than extraordinary. Ever since the announcement that Oscar nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) this project has been gathering pace. With our own Andrew Lincoln cast as the eponymous Rick Grimes things seemed to be moving in the right direction ahead of the show’s October opening. That having been said I, like many was wholly unprepared for what was shown in the AMC hall.
Whilst the quality of the video itself is sketchy the trailer oozes quality like brains from the mouth of a drooling zombie. The substantial trailer implies that Darabont and co have drawn on the best of recent Zombie movies and amalgamated them into what could prove to be a cohesive and compelling show.
1) The Avengers team up!
Even if you were unaware that SDCC 2010 had taken place chances are you would still have/seen slash heard murmurings about my number one pick. Whilst it would appear that Marvel Studios have difficulty keeping secrets, (The addition of Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo to the cast and Joss Whedon’s director role had been fuel for message boards the world over), they clearly still know how to get people’s pulses racing. Just as things seemed to be quietening down after some modest announcements pertaining to next year’s Thor and Captain America movies the audience were pleased to see none other than Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) take to the stage.
Although I’d be excited to hear him read off of a menu what followed was even more awesome than that. One by one Jackson oh so coolly introduced those lucky few who have been tasked with bringing some of Marvel’s most beloved characters to life. Starting with the excellent Clark Gregg (Agent Caulson) Jackson introduced all the confirmed Avengers including new boys Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner lll) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye). Whilst the biggest cheer may have been for the ‘Stark-like’ Robert Downey Jr, it fell to Iron Man himself to finally confirm Joss Whedon as the chosen director. As I said before, none of this would really have come as news to those fans present but to see the likes of Chris Helmsworth and Chris Evans finally lined up side by side was more than enough to take the hype to a new level.
