San Diego Comic Con (SDCC 2015) has come and gone. Despite Marvel being absent from the event, there was quite bit of news to be had. From Star Wars to The Walking Dead, San Diego still proved that it is a Mecca for pop culture news. Here is a summation of the highlights of the event!
Star Wars Coverage
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Comic Con Reel
This is a behind-the-scenes look at Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens and I have to admit it gives me chills. Seeing the original cast reunited and JJ Abrams moving towards a balance of practical effects and CGI just makes me smile. As Mark Hamill says in the reel, “Everything’s changed but nothing’s changed.”
Live Blog Updates: (Courtesy of StarWars.com)
A photo of stormtroopers with flamethrowers is shown!
A crashed TIE fighter!
Abrams says that with the first Omaze video, they showed a creature to prove they were doing practical. They bring him out on stage! His name is Bobbajo.
Fan question! How can they live up to fan expectation. Abrams: “When you’re directing a scene on the Millennium Falcon, that doesn’t make it good…it’s storytelling 101…You can’t be blinded by [your feelings about the original trilogy]. I can’t wait to show you the movie.”
Will each movie be a standalone or will there be an arc? Kennedy: “VIII and IX will be part of that saga.” But she adds production is beginning on the standalone movies.
Isaac says his character carries on the legacy of Han and Luke. “Poe was probably watching the medal ceremony saying, ‘I want to be a hero.’”
Will any Asian characters join the cast, a fan asks. Abrams: “There are Asians in this film. The truth is we didn’t write the character of Finn to be any color, we didn’t write Rey to be any color.” They just went for the right actors.
Gleeson: “I am evil. [My character’s] British.”
Christie says of her character: “I found it very exciting that underneath that armor is a woman. And it makes it more relevant than ever.”
Gleeson says he was told that the character was in charge in some way. Abrams confirms the character’s base is called “Starkiller.” Big cheers.
Hamill: “Without you guys [the fans] we’re nothing.”
Hamill says he’s very moved when he hears from fans — whether they named their son Luke or met their wife at the premiere of Return of the Jedi. He says you don’t often realize the impact you could have on someone’s life.
Is Harrison Ford okay? Let’s see for ourselves! Ford takes the stage!
“I’m fine,” he says. “I walked here.”
How did it feel to be back? “It felt great…the original Star Wars was the beginning of my working life…so it was great to be back. Thank you.”
Ash vs Evil Dead
We’ve been anxiously awaiting Bruce Campbell’s return to the “Evil Dead” series and now we may have more than we bargained for. Outside of the trailer reveal for the upcoming series “Ash Vs. Evil Dead,” we received news from Sam Raimi regarding a new film. It seems that we could have both “Evil Dead” universes cross (new and old) if things work out to Raimi’s liking!
Descriptions of the series during the panel: “the craziest five-hour movie ever,” “no holds barred”, filled with “gore and laughs” and “like Full House with carnage and mayhem”.
Were there orgies on set? “Many. But not during filming,” said Campbell.
What has Ash been up to since Army of Darkness? According to Campbell: “Womanizing, living, drinking in a trailer park.”
So how has this shaped him as a hero? “Ash even in his prime would be the wrong guy to save the world. Now, 30 years later… I’m really worried about the world.”
As far as Easter eggs and series staples go, what can we expect from the show? “You’ve got to have the boom stick,” says Campbell. “It’s mandatory. He’s got to have a chainsaw on the end of his hand. It’s mandatory. What do you do with that? You cut the shit out of any deadite that gets near you.” And when asked if Ash’s mechanical arm will make an appearance, Raimi cryptically responded, “You won’t see that specific hand…”
Who is Lucy Lawless playing? A woman named Ruby Knoby, and Lawless says, “If you don’t know that name then you ain’t hardcore.”
So can we expect another movie in addition to the series? “Of course!” says Campbell.
And when asked what another movie would be like, Raimi gave perhaps the most satisfying answer possible, saying that he and Campbell loved the 2013 Evil Dead remake from Fede Alvarez so much they really want to do a shared universe movie with Ash and Mia, the reboot’s blood-bathed heroine.
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X-Men Apocalypse Coverage
With Marvel Studios being absent from San Diego, their rivals at Fox needed to come strong. With a new poster, Hugh Jackman’s announcement for “Old Man Logan,” and a trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse, I’d say Fox definitely flexed their muscles. Check out the poster below and the leaked trailer courtesy of AlphaNerd.co.
Leaked X-Men: Apocalypse Trailer
And the trailer you’ve been waiting for! Forgive the quality, it was discretely leaked and we will update once Fox decides to release it officially.
Did you notice that Apocalypse reveal? Many people are laughing about his appearance but what were they expecting? He’s a giant, blue mutant that is far superior to others. Of course he’s going to be a “bit” overboard.
Finally Hugh Jackman took the stage to announce that he would be playing Wolverine one last time. While this news was already known, it was his confirmation that the last film would be based upon Mark Millar’s “Old Man Logan” series that had fans cheering!
Deadpool Coverage
While many are excited for Bryan Singer’s next “X-Men” project, it is Deadpool that is a fan favorite. Fox is taking quite a risk with this film and demonstrated their gamble through the leaked trailer below. When it was announced that “Deadpool” was seeking an “R” rating, fans were ecstatic but studios were skeptical when it came to closing out certain age groups. This trailer proves that this film is definitely worthy of the “R” rating with the intense violence and harsh language. Sorry about the poor quality and portrait view, unfortunately that’s the cost of “leaked” trailers.
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Walking Dead Season 6 Trailer
“The Walking Dead” has become an essential staple of comic book conventions. With the series being based on a popular comic itself, AMC has dominated comic book television with the show. Check out the trailer below for the upcoming season and what you have to look forward to in October!
DC Coverage
2015 was the year of DC and it’s no surprise that they wowed us with their upcoming lineup. Of course the heavy hitter was Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but fans were also pleased to see the Suicide Squad make an appearance. With (yet another) leaked trailer, we finally get to see a few key characters in action, especially when it comes to the Joker and Harley Quinn. Check out the leaked trailer below.
Suicide Squad Leaked SDCC Trailer
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
And for the big finale comes the highly anticipated second trailer for “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.” In addition to the trailer which we’ve already posted, an image was put on Instagram today of Ben Affleck in the suit with goggles.
And for the trailer…
As mentioned, we’ve already covered the trailer. Check out the trailer and our take on the footage at http://www.filmfad.com/sdcc-batman-v-superman-trailer-is-awesome/.
And we’ll let Joss Whedon close things off…
While there were many things that had us in awe at San Diego Comic Con 2015, it was a simple fan question to Joss Whedon that may have given purpose to conventions such as these. Outside of the Hollywood glam, fan jokingly asked Whedon about the meaning of life and Whedon surprisingly responded with a heart-felt, existential answer. Thanks to io9, we were able to see that response and end the SDCC experience with great insight.
So during Joss Whedon’s big one-man show panel here at Comic Con, a fan dressed in a Jayne hat and a Sunnydale T-shirt asked what was the meaning of life, what was the nature of reality, and how we could be sane and happy in the world. And Whedon responded:
Joss: “You think I’m not going to, but I’m going to answer that. The world is a random and meaningless terrifying place and then we all—spoiler alert—die. Most critters are designed not to know that. We are designed, uniquely, to transcend that, and to understand that—I can quote myself—a thing isn’t beautiful because it lasts.”
Whedon added that “the main function of the human brain, the primary instinct, is storytelling. Memory is storytelling. If we all remembered everything, we would be Rain Man, and would not be socially active at all. We learn to forget and to distort, but we [also] learn to tell a story about ourselves.”
And Whedon said, “I keep hoping to be the hero of my story, [but] I’m the annoying sidekick. I’m kind of like Rosie O’Donnell in that Tarzan movie.” He keeps hoping to be Tarzan, but finding that he’s that weird monkey that nobody can tell if it’s a girl or a boy.
“My idea is that stories that we then hear and see and internalize—and wear hats from and come to conventions about… We all come here to celebrate only exactly that: storytelling, and the shared experience of what that gives us.” The shared experience of storytelling gives us strength and peace, Whedon added. You understand your story and everyone else’s story, and that “it can be controlled by us.” This is something we can survive, “because unlike me, you all are the hero of your story.”