Watchmen(March 6th 2009)
Along with a con-exclusive poster, viewable here, Director Zack Snyder turned up and confirmed already locked aspects about the film's 1985 period setting and R-rating. The film is relying on mostly practical effects, except for the Mars and Antarctica scenes which will predominantly be CG.
He confirmed all the casting talk so far, adding that Steven McCaddy ("A History of Violence") plays Hollis. Crudup as Dr. Manhattan will be a fully 3D CG version utilising motion capture, whilst The Comedian character will be seen at various ages - from 19 through til his sixties - all played by Morgan but aged/de-aged through technology. Snyder wants to include the pirate story, and they're working on how to fit it in now.
They're using the original artwork as the base for the film's action/visuals, but even though the sets are stylised it WON'T be like "300" or "Sin City", rather more like "Seven" with a real world setting. Asked about Moore keeping his name on the film, Snyder says Moore said a long time ago he wanted his name not attached but his "deepest hope" is that Moore will watch the film one day and say "they didn't f**k it up that bad".
Get Smart(June 20th 2008)
Director Peter Segal and actors Nate Torrance, Masi Oka, Ken Davitian, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and Steve Carell all turned up to promote the comedy and kicked it off with an extended five minute trailer.
Amongst the footage we see Alan Arkin attacking the US Consulate General, Terrence Stamp as a baddie who has sold "nuclear weapons to twenty unfriendly and unstable dictators", Agent 99 bashing up an elevator full of henchmen, and Smart flying a jet and vomiting into the gas mask. Segal says it keeps in the Mel Brooks original spirit, rather than reinventing or spoofing it, but updates the Cold War setting for a more modern political environment.
Carell says that his casting was surreal and admits he doesn't think he can be as good as Adams, only as good as he can for this more modern take which he describes as a "comedic Bourne Identity" - these people live in a real world, so it's not deliberately campy. Rock confirms that his new chracter of 23 works as Smart's mentor. Heime the Robot is in the film, as is Agent 13 which will be a celebrity cameo.
Whiteout(2008)
The first trailer for the film aired, showing off lots of beauty shots of the Antarctic landscape, frost bitten bloody fingers, people pulling their way across the ice via rope, falling over in the howling snow winds and a surprisingly gory corpse.
Producer Joel Silver, Director Dominic Sena, author Greg Rucka and actress Kate Beckinsale. Rucka seems very happy with the film, saying that it includes some stuff that he wanted to do but wouldn't have worked in a comic, and cuts out some of the quieter filler. Filming, which took place in Montreal and Salvation in Upper Manitoba, just wrapped and the footage is currently being assembled.
The character of Lily is not in the film, her parts have been incorporated into a male character called Price in order to increase the element of her being one of the few women on the continent. Beckinsale cracked jokes throughout, an especially good one about people not groaning everytime she bent down like they did on "Underworld". Rucka says several drafts of a "Queen & Country" screenplay have been done, but still no word on a production start.
One Missed Call(January 2008)
Edward Burns and Shannyn Sossamon turned up to promote the horror remake of Takahashi Miike thriller. An assembly of rough footage showed off lots of melting faces, a statue of Jesus coming alive, lots of phones being slammed, etc.
Sossasmon confirmed that she and Burns haven't seen the original yet at the director's request. Burns plays a cop whose sister is the first victim which leads him to team with Sossamon (whose friend is the second victim). Burns confirms that there was talk of a "Confidence" sequel and story beats were worked out, but the box-office failure sunk that chance.
