Well! That was fast: Comic-Con 2011 came and went with the quickness, but not such quickness that Team Movieline couldn’t keep up with all the panels, appearances, news developments and cosplayer awesomeness accompanying the annual San Diego powwow. And no worries if you happened to miss it: Find herewith a digest featuring everything you need to know from the ‘Con. (Hint: Those panel live-blogs? Must-reads .)
Bradley Cooper has portrayed a variety of sinful characters in his career but the Hangover star will embody pure evil next year when playing Lucifer in the 3-D adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost . After premiering the first concept artwork for the film — which will be directed by Alex Proyas ( I, Robot , Knowing ) — at Comic-Con, Legendary has unleashed the teaser image onto the Internet. Click ahead to see what Cooper could look like as the Devil himself.
Olivia Wilde has two very different movies coming out in the next two weeks: one is a high-concept sci-fi thriller ( Cowboys & Aliens ) and the other is a lighthearted comedy that begins with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman drunkenly urinating into a park fountain and later switching bodies ( The Change-Up ). There is a common thread that pulls these two projects together, though: Olivia Wilde appears nude (“nude”) in both, even though the adventurous actress had no idea that was the case.
Thousands of fanboys (and girls) travel to Comic-Con each year to breathe the same air as their pop culture heroes, even if that means spending all day with 7,000 strangers in a San Diego Convention Center auditorium. The crowding was worth it though for anyone in yesterday’s phenomenal Tintin panel — where Steven Spielberg broke news of Jurassic Park 4 and offered inspirational wisdom to his audience — especially for one lucky fan who was spontaneously welcomed onstage by the great filmmaker. Let’s relive the adorable moment.
As part of our continuing Comic-Con coverage this year, Movieline is profiling some of the most elaborate cosplayers roaming the San Diego Convention Center halls. Yesterday’s subject was a Homeland Security employee dressed as Chef Vader , and this morning’s profilees are two dramatically costumed Halo Spartans, who Movieline found asking for directions at a Mrs. Fields stand outside of Ballroom 20.
Good news for Marvel and the team behind Captain America: The First Avenger : The summer’s latest major comics-hero tentpole also had the genre’s best midnight showing of the season with $4 million. That exceeds the previous best of X-Men: First Class ‘s $3.4 million and hints at a better-than-expected three-day total near $60 million. Drop by Movieline this weekend for more box-office dispatches as events warrant… [via THR ]
This just in from the reportedly outgoing Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh, answering questions at Relativity Media’s panel at Comic-Con : “Matt Damon is apparently as discreet as a 14-year-old girl. I had this drunk conversation with him while shooting Contagion and four days later, I read about it in the paper. And he read it verbatim. Nobody in this economy wants to hear about someone quitting a good job. That kind of got blown out of proportion. And that’s Matt’s fault.” Aha! Cue “Blamin’ Damon” headlines in 3… 2… (And check out all of Movieline’s Comic-Con 2011 coverage here .)
Today in news that doesn’t relate to Comic-Con: Deadline reports that Steve Carell, Jack Black and Nicolas Cage are in various stages of negotiations to star in Frank Or Francis for director and writer Charlie Kaufman. Details on the film are slim, but when it was first announced back in March , Frank Or Francis reportedly dealt with a filmmaker and the blogger “who takes delight in berating his cinematic talent.” (It sorta sounds like that movie Pitchfork that Jonah Hill was rumored for ; bloggers, they’re not just for blogs anymore!) Assuming Carell, Black and Cage sign on for Frank Or Francis — and assuming at least two of them are in talks for the lead roles — this news raises a fairly legitimate question: who among them is believable as a blogger?
In between the panels , parties and press conferences at this year’s Comic-Con , Movieline will also be recognizing the most elaborately costumed cosplayers roaming Hall H. Today meet veteran Comic-Con-er Michael Olsen, who flew into San Diego from Des Moines with a Star Wars -themed get-up so impressive that he had barely walked through the convention center doors before being surrounded by fans wanting photos of him. Not that he wasn’t expecting that kind of attention… he had come with a stack of special event business cards. Movieline stole a few minutes from the Star Wars -loving government employee to talk about his costume.
In David R. Ellis’s Shark Night 3D , American Idol star-turned-actress Katharine McPhee plays Beth, a “tough chick party girl” who, with a group of fellow co-eds, heads to a summer beach house one weekend only to find the waters infested with hungry, deadly sharks. It’s scary stuff, she and Ellis, say, but don’t go in expecting the usual boobs ‘n’ blood exploitation-fest.
