Warner Bros. Wows Comic-Con with Superman, Batman, Mad Max and Middle-earth
There is big, and then there’s the Warner Bros. presentation at Comic-Con’s on Saturday.
The studio turned all the walls of the cavernous Hall H into screens as they showed footage and presented panels for such hotly anticipated, action-packed, and effects-laden films as Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and Jupiter Ascending.
As was hotly rumored, the studio kicked things off with Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice, showing a teaser trailer featuring a glowing, white-eyed Cape Crusader and a Man of Steel whose eyes blazed red with anger.
While the stars of the film — Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, and Gal Gadot — came on stage and their character costumes were fully revealed, the actors did not take questions. However, panel host Chris Hardwick, dressed as Marty McFly from Back to the Future, was able to take a selfie with the new core of the Justice League.
“I was shooting last night and just came on a plane here this morning,” says director Zack Snyder before introducing his stars. “It is super amazing: the talent, the sets, the special effects. Things are going amazingly well.”
Next the studio showed off the delayed sci-fi epic Jupiter Ascending from the Wachowskis, and starring Channing Tatum, who took the stage, and Mila Kunis, who couldn’t make it. “She is super pregnant,” explained Tatum.
“The Wachowskis are absolutely out of their minds,” said Tatum, who claimed to have walked the Exhibition hall in a Chewbacca costume. “They are really trying to make something different that you have never seen before.”
For Mad Max: Fury Road, the studio trotted out the films director and franchise creator George Miller. While stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, couldn’t make it, the Oscar winning actress addressed the crowd by video from South Africa, where she was filming. “I am with you in spirit,” she said.
Miller share about 10 minutes of the epic, post apocalyptic car chase movie, which left the hall breathless. “I wanted to make the film one extended chase,” said Miller, who called the film “a western on wheels.”
“There aren’t many words spoken in this movie,” said the director. “People only speak when they have to.”
Warner Bros. capped things off on a sentimental touch, with a presentation of the final Middle-earth film, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
The panel for the final Middle-earth film included a host of Lord of the Rings luminaries including Elijah Wood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Evangeline Lilly, and, of course, director Peter Jackson, who first started bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s world to life 20 years ago.
Moderating the panel? The Lord of the Rings geek to rule them all, Stephen Colbert, who showed up in costume from his cameo in the film.
“There is a lot of sadness and tragedy, which is a good thing,” explained Jackson of what to expect from the final installment. “It is always great as a filmmaker when you can kill off some main characters.”
For more on fans' reactions to Batman v Superman — and its superhero stars — check out this TV in No Time segment from the Comic-Con floor:
Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images