Twice in the last month prospective ticket holders to the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con have been left out in the cold after being thwarted by server issues after online registration forced sales to a halt.
The biggest draw for me is going to be anything that occurs in Hall H, which features presentations from the film and television studios which are designed to get the hype in gear for movies and programming that might be a year or so away. Typically news starts surfacing immediately about clips from movies that won’t see the light of day for another year. Genre television pilots are often featured months before airing in primetime, again with the hope of channeling early online buzz.
Last summer’s Hall H panels included, as always, big name stars, directors and writers from movies that would not be hitting theaters until 2011 (Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, Green Lantern, and Cowboys & Indians to name a few). The Thor and Captain America panel ended with a well publicized gathering of the Avengers cast (above, a whopping two years before the movie is scheduled to hit theaters).
While nothing has been announced yet in terms of what Hall H panels are scheduled for 2011, looking at the slate of films set for release in 2012 should spark some anticipation:
The Wolverine: Darren Aronofsky’s directs the follow-up to 2009’s first solo Wolverine feature. With a script by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), this film is almost certain to be a greater critical success than it’s predecessor (TBA 2012).
Frankenweenie: Based on Tim Burton’s original short subject about a dog that is brought back to life by its owner, the director returns with a full-length stop animation feature (his third such film as producer). The film will be voiced by Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Martin Short and Catherine O‘Hara (March 9, 2012).
The Avengers: Undisputedly the most ambitious comic book movie project ever. Writer/director Joss Whedon is taking Marvel’s recent film franchises and putting them all together in this hotly anticipated feature. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and Black Widow will all be on hand to face off against what will have to be a pretty major threat (May 4, 2012).
Men in Black III: Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back with series director Barry Sonnenfield and writer Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder). This film will receive the 3-D treatment (as it seems perfectly suited) and will also feature Josh Brolin, Gemma Arterton, Emma Thompson, Alec Baldwin, Sharlto Copley, and Rip Torn (May 25, 2012).
The biggest draw for me is going to be anything that occurs in Hall H, which features presentations from the film and television studios which are designed to get the hype in gear for movies and programming that might be a year or so away. Typically news starts surfacing immediately about clips from movies that won’t see the light of day for another year. Genre television pilots are often featured months before airing in primetime, again with the hope of channeling early online buzz.
Last summer’s Hall H panels included, as always, big name stars, directors and writers from movies that would not be hitting theaters until 2011 (Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, Green Lantern, and Cowboys & Indians to name a few). The Thor and Captain America panel ended with a well publicized gathering of the Avengers cast (above, a whopping two years before the movie is scheduled to hit theaters).
While nothing has been announced yet in terms of what Hall H panels are scheduled for 2011, looking at the slate of films set for release in 2012 should spark some anticipation:
The Wolverine: Darren Aronofsky’s directs the follow-up to 2009’s first solo Wolverine feature. With a script by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), this film is almost certain to be a greater critical success than it’s predecessor (TBA 2012).
Frankenweenie: Based on Tim Burton’s original short subject about a dog that is brought back to life by its owner, the director returns with a full-length stop animation feature (his third such film as producer). The film will be voiced by Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Martin Short and Catherine O‘Hara (March 9, 2012).
The Avengers: Undisputedly the most ambitious comic book movie project ever. Writer/director Joss Whedon is taking Marvel’s recent film franchises and putting them all together in this hotly anticipated feature. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and Black Widow will all be on hand to face off against what will have to be a pretty major threat (May 4, 2012).
Men in Black III: Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back with series director Barry Sonnenfield and writer Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder). This film will receive the 3-D treatment (as it seems perfectly suited) and will also feature Josh Brolin, Gemma Arterton, Emma Thompson, Alec Baldwin, Sharlto Copley, and Rip Torn (May 25, 2012).
John Carter of Mars: Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs serialized stories from the early 1900’s, Andrew Stanton (WALL-E and Finding Nemo) directs his first live-action film with a script by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) . The film stars Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) as John Carter , a Civil War veteran who travels to Mars where there is life and adventure to be had (concept art above). The film also stars Mark Strong, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Hayden Church and Samantha Morton (June 8, 2012).Star Trek 2: Now that J.J. Abrahms has retconned the Trek universe, there are endless possibilities for this second follow-up. Screenwriters Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof are returning and there is some speculation that the returning crew of the Enterprise will be facing off against the Klingons. This is purely speculation though (June 29, 2012).
The Dark Knight Rises: The final film in Christopher Nolan’s critically and financially successful trilogy is so far a mystery. We know Tom Hardy (Inception) has been cast (presumably as a villain) and a search is being conducted for two female leads (again, presumably one as a villain and the other a love interest). Hardy as Bane? Are the League of Assassins heading to Gotham led by Talia al Gul? Nothing has been revealed yet. (July 20, 2012).
Untitled Spider-Man Reboot: Director Marc Webb is rebooting a beloved franchise that ended on a critically sour note. Based on some of the casting announcements (Martin Sheen is in talks to play Uncle Ben), this is going to be another take on the origin, but I trust Webb and screenwriter James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) to present their own fresh spin on the web-slinger (July 23, 2012).
The Hobbit: The on again off again production has remained so for the past few years, but it appears to finally be on again and moving ahead. Lord of the Rings helmer Peter Jackson is guiding the film again with some recognizable faces from the original trilogy and Martin Freeman (The Office) as Bilbo Baggins. The Hobbit will be filmed in two parts for release in 2012 and 2013 (December 19, 2012).
Untitled Superman Reboot: Christmas bring a fresh take on the Man of Steel. After Superman Returns failed to capture the steam required to relaunch a franchise, Warner Bros. has tapped Zack Snyder to bring his creative eye to the character. Not much is known about the story (other than some unlikely rumors that came out last week involving warring African tribes); Zack Snyder has said that much of what has been published on the web has been incorrect (TBA December 2012).
PopCultureGeek.com created the following video featuring the coolness that went down at the 2010 Hall H panels.
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