Star Wars Panel - H 2015
AP Images/InvisionA whirlwind of studio marketing and surprises mixed with genuine fan excitement at San Diego Comic-Con last week. Sifting through the hype the day after the proceedings, The Hollywood Reporter tallies up the biggest beneficiaries of the Hall H crowd.
Winners
While no new trailer was shown, Harrison Ford‘s first public appearance had the crowd on their feet. The behind-the-scenes featurette had plenty of clips to pore over (including a flamethrower-wielding Stormtrooper), but the never-been-done-before kicker was having the entire Hall H, more than 6,500 people, file out to a nearby park for a surprise free Star Wars music concert by the San Diego Symphony where everyone walked away with a glowing lightsaber.
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Ryan Reynolds got superhero redemption with the definitely R-rated reel for Deadpool, perhaps the best-received film trailer at the Con for its mix of humor, foul-mouthed attitude and cool action. The unbridled geek passion gave Fox hope for a surprise hit when the movie comes out next year.
Who needs new footage or big announcements? Kermit and company were the talk of the Con following a panel that featured producers, “muppeteers” and their counterparts previewing both the Bill Prady comedy as well as Miss Piggy’s show within the show. The lively session brought the 1,040-capacity ballroom to its feet.
4. Batman v. Superman (Warner Bros.)
With Marvel Studios sitting this Comic-Con out, Warners/DC were under pressure to deliver, which they did with star power (the cast of Suicide Squad made a surprise appearance, Ben Affleck was there for Batman v. Superman), a sly tease for a Green Lantern Corps movie, and Batman v. Superman footage that had fans dissecting every frame.
Jonathan Nolan unveiled a surprise first-look teaser for his J.J. Abrams-produced drama at the end of his Person of Interest panel. The footage dazzled the crowd and quickly made the series, which doesn’t debut until 2016, one of next year’s most anticipated panels. (At press time, the unreleased footage had yet to leak online.)
Losers
1. Warcraft (Legendary)
Warcraft, Legendary’s adaptation based on the popular video game, has been coming to the Con in some form since 2013, and the response has always been a collective shrug. This year was no different, with the response to the footage being, “It would make a nice video game.”
While their film counterparts skipped the confab this year, ABC pushed Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD with a ho-hum session moderated by exec producer Jeph Loeb. The early Comic-Con date was likely a factor in many flat panels as production on many fall shows has yet to begin. The DC TV side also underwhelmed as CBS’ Supergirl was met with a cautious optimism.
3. Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith had the bad luck to follow the Star Wars panel, where the entire Hall H crowd up and left for the surprise concert. Still, not all was lost as a new crop of Smith faithful, around 2,000, (half) filled the room to hear him promote his film Yoga Hosers.
