Without question, the most benevolent moment of Comic-Con 2010 was Ryan Reynolds‘s reciting of the Green Lantern‘s oath for a boy who asked him what is was like to say, “In brightest day, in blackest night…” Reynolds fixed his gaze, got into bedtime-story voice, and communicated said oath directly to the child. Cut back to the amazed fan, who then held up his power ring to Reynolds, who did the same and return, and the biggest lump since Toy Story 3 formed in my throat. I thought about how cool it must be to be a younger person who gets this kind of access to one of their superheroes. (A parallel: Imagine it’s early 1978 and you have the chance to ask Christopher Reeve what it was like to be Superman.) At this point, Ryan Reynolds literally is still becoming the Green Lantern since the film has 4+ weeks of shooting left in New Orleans. For me, as this moment transpired, Reynolds become something more than a lovable performer, and I cannot wait to travel to Oa with him.

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I am thinking about Jon Favreau, who helped restoke Hall H after the widely reported altercation between two men that temporarily halted the day’s movie panels. (We apologize for misreporting on the story and have learned from the experience.) Favreau, who is at the tail end of witnessing Iron Man 2‘s worldwide dominance, unveiled footage of Cowboys & Aliens, which I understand was arguably the best-received trailer at this year’s Con. A new friend from the awesome website io9 remarked that was a genuine surprise, and that it balanced story, emotion, and aesthetics. In 2007, he was still a relatively green director, and certainly not experienced with guiding a comics superhero to the big screen. A mere 3 years later and he’s Jon Favreau: superheroic moviemaker.

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On villains and sidekicks: will we wind up rooting for Hugo Weaving as Red Skull over Chris Evans as Captain America? Might Kato be used to coax nonplussed Green Hornet fans back in caring about the movie?

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The cast announcements for The Avengers didn’t surprise, but I sense its release will be a defining moment for comic-book movies. The last time a group of superheroes came together, Halle Berry had enough power to expand her role in franchise that crashed to the ground under the direction of Brett Ratner. With Marvel at full strength and pushing into 2012 and beyond, their power might even defeat the Joss Whedon curse.

–Arno

As Comic-Con comes to a close, I have to say once again that the thing I enjoy the most about this epic event is the fans.  Sure, it’s great to sit on panels and go to pressrooms to hear directly from the stars and filmmakers as they share what’s coming up on our favorite shows, and yes, it was exciting to see some of the hottest celebrities hanging out at the Wired Café.  But that did not compare to the thrill that I had from walking through the halls of Convention Center and seeing the variety of costumes of the truly dedicated fans.

What really stood out to me was that Comic-Con is a place for everyone, a true melting pot of diversity, attracting both the young and the old of all race and sizes.  It’s a place where families can come and share in the experience together, and not once did a see a hint of judgment.

Newly engaged Jennifer Martin and Matt Atchity

Comic-Con can also be a place for romance.  Just as I was leaving for the airport, I ran into Matt Atchity from Rotten Tomatoes and his new fiancée Jennifer Martin.   Matt had worked with a friend from Hasbro and slipped an engagement ring into a classic Boba Fett action figure.  The next day, when Jennifer came to town, he took her to the Hasbro booth and popped the question!

I have heard on more than one occasion that “Hollywood” has ruined Comic-Con.  This is only my second year at the event, and it’s impossible not to notice all of the product placement blanketing downtown San Diego, but I will go out on a limb and say that the fans will not let the event become a pure marketing tool.

And so this blog is dedicated to the fans. Here’s some of my favorite costumes from this year:

- Michelle Bryant

Ray Subers, our colleague at Box Office Mojo, reports on Day 3 of Comic-Con.

Maggie Q at the Nikita panel

With an influx of families and other weekenders, Saturday is probably the busiest of Comic-Con’s four days. Fortunately, I had already gotten a solid feel for how lines work at the Con, and was therefore able to get in to a substantial number of panels throughout the day.

My first panel was for Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. Admittedly, I haven’t watched the show in years, but the panel itself was an absolute blast. In attendance was a wealth of cast and crew along with SpongeBob himself, Tom Kenny. They showed a five-minute making-of video, which was both funny and enlightening. Next, they took questions from the audience, most of which came from the children in attendance. After three days of listening to adults mostly ask wordy, awkward questions, the kids’ simple yet hilarious inquiries were a breath of fresh air. My favorite of the day came from a very young child with clear studio executive aspirations who asked “How much does it cost to make an episode of SpongeBob?” To conclude the panel, they premiered a straight-to-DVD episode called ‘Trench Billies,’ which finds SpongeBob and Patrick unwillingly adopted in to a Beverly Hillbillies-type underwater clan.

I was going to stay behind for the premiere of The Event, but had to run to a Leverage press event instead. This seems like a good choice in hindsight, as we were able to spend a considerable amount of time with each of the actors in attendance. While Timothy Hutton and Beth Riesgraf had lots of interesting insights to share about the show, the most fun came when Aldis Hodge and Christian Kane (sipping on a Bud Light) sat down at my table. They spent nearly 20 minutes joking around with us, sharing good stories, and reflecting on the show’s success and how that’s affected their lives. Neither of them appeared to have any ego whatsoever, and they seemed truly grateful for all of their success.

After Leverage, I made my way back to the exhibit halls for the SyFy Channel’s Warehouse 13 and Eureka panels. Both panels began with an extended trailer and were hosted by a member of the other show. The hall was packed with excited fans of the shows, which are clearly perfectly engineered for the Comic-Con audience. Each cast seemed to have good chemistry, and there was the nice added bonus this year of having James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar on ‘Battlestar Galactica’) in attendance thanks to his new role on Eureka. As far as newsworthy items go, ‘Eureka’ announced that Felicia Day will be taking on a guest-starring role, while future crossover episodes between the two shows are strongly being considered.

Next up was the premiere of the pilot episode of CW drama Nikita, which I admit wasn’t my cup of tea. While it had solid action and an intriguing premise (though I liked it better when it was called Alias), it was riddled with painful expository scenes and spy show clichés. The unfavorable rumblings I heard afterward don’t bode well for word-of-mouth, though I won’t attempt to deny the drawing power of a scantily-clad Maggie Q. Speaking of Maggie Q, she came on stage afterward with fellow star Lyndsy Fonseca and executive producer Craig Silverstein, though it was a brief appearance and was mostly spent trying to describe how this ‘Nikita’ differs from prior incarnations.

My final panel of the day was for Fox’s Human Target, which developed a nice little following through its first season. Mark Valley, Chi McBride, Jackie Earle Haley and new showrunner Matthew Miller were on stage to discuss the second season of the show, including the addition of some regular female cast members like ‘Rome’s Indira Varma. Chi McBride, who killed with a William Shatner impersonation, was talking about some of the other TV shows he’s done, paused, and said “I’m just doing my IMDb page.” Thanks for the shout-out, Chi!

That’s all for my Comic-Con 2010 coverage. My personal highlight was definitely The Walking Dead panel (this is a guaranteed hit), while the most disappointing presentation was probably for The Cape. Overall, the Con was exhausting, stressful, and tons of fun, and I’m glad to have been able to experience it with the rest of the excellent IMDb team.

–Ray Subers

Ah, social media. Sometimes news spreads before the facts are aligned.

The “stabbing in Hall H” might turn out to be a scuffle between two friends that wound up with one of the men going to the hospital with a “scratch” over his eye.

We’ll keep our eye on the developments; in the meantime, remember: pens are for writing, not stabbing.

An altercation over seating in Hall H has resulted in one Comic-Con attendee being stabbed over his left eye and another conference-goer arrested for the crime. The incident occurred after the Resident Evil: Afterlife panel and there was a delay before Universal’s Cowboys & Aliens/Paul presentation.

The violence broke out after an argument over saved seats; ultimately, one man stabbed the other with a pen. The perpetrator was promptly arrested and police began an investigation inside Hall H. The victim has been taken to a local hospital.

Panels were delayed temporarily as police began their investigation and the scene of the altercation was cleaned up. Police continued their questioning of witnesses as the Cowboys & Aliens/Paul presentation began.

More news on this story as it develops.

I snapped a photo of Nic Cage and Amber Heard before their Drive Angry panel this morning, the first movie presentation of the day. Revenge stories are as popular as alien invasions in Hollywood at the moment, and the idea of Cage literally and figuratively driven to a breaking point after his daughter’s murder definitely connected with Hall H, who cheered at the ultraviolence, sexuality, and griminess of the sneak peek. I have to admit I left the panel curious as to whether Cage will top his performance in Bad Lieutenant: Port Call of New Orleans. That said, I’ve seen Cage deal with the press and the public separately, and his responses definitely are prepared/canned; however, his thoughtful weirdness is as engaging as his increasingly bizarro characters. Amber Heard is poised for a breakout role — we’re still hoping for an All the Boys Love Mandy Lane release! — and Drive Angry could be her break, at least with action fans. I’m still a bit fuzzy on how her character fits into the story, and I like things that way.

Amber Heard: Looks Pretty, Fights Tough

After Cage & co. vacated, I was a bit confused by the Skyline presentation, mainly because it looked and felt so similar to yesterday’s look at Battle: Los Angeles — just substitute teens played by adults for Aaron Eckhart‘s Marines. And what’s with the deliberate lifting of District 9 imagery? Alien spaceships hovering over a city never looked more derivative. Though I’m curious to look into the movie’s “eerie light”, I’m wondering how much invention will be found within the city in crisis created by visual effects gurus Greg and Colin Strause in their directorial debut.

The Super panel was profane and mostly non-linear, with Rainn Wilson essentially moderating the event. Wilson stars in James Gunn‘s movie about a guy who transforms himself into a seemingly misguided superhero after his wife (Liv Tyler, who was in the house) leaves him for a heroin dealer (played by the absent Kevin Bacon). The low-budget project was shot quickly and doesn’t have distribution at this point; it’ll be interesting to see what theatrical path the movie takes in the post Kick-Ass era. Super looks as violent as that comic-turned-movie, and it’s centered on a dude who might be more dysfunctional/anti-social than heroic. Wilson probably gained a couple thousand new twitter followers with his steady stream of jokes, but the best part of the panel for me was when Gunn and Tyler offered their perspectives on shooting 50+ set-ups a day, roughly ten times the amount of a Hollywood production. Tyler admitted to feeling unsure of herself, and that she cried after the first day of production (though that was soon replaced by spinning in circles and sipping whiskey before filming her bits on subsequent days); Gunn spoke like a creative brain quite happy to be free of industry constraints.

I slipped out of Hall H before the Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark panel for three reasons: my laptop and phone batteries were dying, writer/producer Guillermo del Toro had already announced his once-secretive new project on Thursday, and neither Katie Holmes nor Guy Pearce would be on-hand to discuss the horror remake. Hopefully, del Toro will make like Kevin Smith and commit to annual ‘Con appearances, since he’s better at delivering self-deprecating wit — and great movies. Hitfix has a thorough write-up, and keep your eyes peeled for the first trailer … hopefully by early next week?

The Green Hornet and Kato Figurines

No trouble was had getting back into Hall H for Sony’s panel, consisting of Priest, The Other Guys, and The Green Hornet. I was somewhat shocked since normally the Friday/Saturday Hall H lines snake out and around the convention center all day. As interesting: the assembled crowd seemed to care most about the newest Will Ferrell project than Seth Rogen as Britt Reid. Ferrell, co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendes, and director Adam McKay kept the crowd laughing with a stream of banter and audience engagement, and Mendes revealed Mrs. Robinson side that had every male — including Wahlberg — at attention. She also challenged a Hit Girl lookalike to an “Anchorman quote-off”. I think the buddy-cop action-comedy will notch itself underneath Blades of Glory and Step Brothers — levels above Semi-Pro and Land of the Lost.

Exactly what fate has in store for The Green Hornet is unknown at this point, but if I had to make a judgment, I think the character doesn’t engage general audiences, who are more willing to embrace a superhero in a cool costume, fighting to save a parallel version of our society. Personally, I like all the talent involved, but I don’t think they make a cohesive unit. If Michel Gondry were to direct Christoph Waltz in an original Gondry creation, I’d split into two to see it as many times as possible on opening day. And while Rogen is loved, I think the released footage hasn’t done anything to make him look like a good guy.

The best part of my day was sitting next to a guy named Ernell for the Sony panel. After introductions, we spoke in hushed tones about the Green Hornet character and the movie translation. We both felt as though he’s a tough sell in the era of Marvel superheroes, and that the movie itself seems like an underdog that might surprise us all with a knockout performance come January. Seth Rogen has definitely lost the weight, but there’s a bigger battle to be fought en route to opening weekend.

– Arno Kazarian

Kynt and Vyxen from "The Amazing Race"

Today, when I first got to the Convention Center, I decided to check out the Autograph Area, where fans speak directly to artists, filmmakers, and actors from shows of both the past and present, plus get photos, program books, and artwork signed.  It was still early so there wasn’t much going on, but I did see actors Morgan Fairchild, Erin Gray, Richard Hatch, Mark Shepphard, and also Kynt and Vyxen from The Amazing Race.  Guillermo del Toro was supposed to arrive at any moment, but the line was so long, I couldn’t get even close.

Next, I headed over to Ballroom 20 where I spent most of the day watching the major TV panels.  My first panel was “Caprica“, moderated by Geoff Boucher of Hero Complex.  The panel  featured actors James Marsters, Sasha Roiz, Alessandra Torresani, and Magda Apanowicz, as well as executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.  Eick brought a bottle of tequila with him, and he and Moore took several shots as they talked about the future of the show.   It was a lively discussion as they explored several themes from the show, including marriage and what it means to be human, especially for a society which the audience knows is ultimately doomed.  I was very intrigued to hear that they had begun to write “Caprica”, before they began writing the final two seasons of “Battlestar Galactica”. So as a result, they were able to resolve certain issues on Battlestar… and avoided painting themselves into a corner.  The second half of the first season of “Caprica” will begin airing in January of 2011, and Moore seemed confident that the show would get signed for at least one more season (if not two!).

The Barenaked Ladies

“The Big Bang Theory” panel was up next and kicked-off with a sing-a-long, performed live by  The Barenaked Ladies.  Wil Wheaton moderated the panel that included executive producers Chuck Lorre and Bill Brady, along with actors Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar.  Wheaton led a fun panel  as they mostly talked about how endeared the cast was to each other.  In fact, when an audience member asked Parson how he was able to find inspiration to play Sheldon, he beamed that it was so easy to play the part because of the great writing and “everything was there on the page”, prompting Lorre to walk over and give him a hug.  They didn’t reveal too much for next season but they did confirm that Mayim Bialik will be back to play Sheldon’s love interest and that Steve Wozniak will guest star on the show.

As I was waiting for the “Bones” panel to begin, I wanted to grab some water, so I asked a woman sitting behind me if she could watch my seat.  It turns out that she was Kathy Reichs, the forensic anthropologist and crime writer that the series is loosely based on.  After a lively panel, that mostly involved flirtatious bickering between Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, creator Hart Hanson called Reichs up on stage.   She was also at Comic-Con promoting her new book, and all of the members in the audience received a copy.

The Joss Whedon Experience was next on the agenda.   This has become an annual tradition, for Whedon to talk directly to the his fans about what he’s working on.  I also saw Whedon yesterday at EW’s Geek Gods panel, as he sat down with J.J. Abrams and moderator Jeff Jensen.  I was really excited to see two of my favorite writer/directors on stage together, but I have to admit it felt a bit anti-climatic.  Don’t get me wrong: it was cool to hear how Abrams owns the original tongue from The Exorcist (sent to him by Dick Smith the make-up artist after he wrote a fan letter) and that Whedon was definitely directing The Avengers (was it a question?). But I think I was expecting them to read Holy tablets straight from the mountaintop.  But today, Whedon was laid-back and comfortable as he leaned on the front of the table as he answered questions  directly from his fans.  One fan asked him about his writing process, which he summarized as “Fun, Hunger, Porn, Depression, Fun.”  At the end of the panel, a strange audience member tried to get Whedon to say who his favorite actor he has worked with.  Turns out it was Nathan Fillion in disguise, complete with a fake mustache and trench coat.

My last panel for the day was “True Blood“.   Tim Stack from EW moderated the panel featuring the majority of the cast, including Joe Manganiello, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Deborah Woll,  Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Anna Paquin, and Stephen Moyer, as well as creator Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels that the show is based on.  Alexander Skarsgård wasn’t in town because he’s shooting a film, but Paquin and Moyer carried out a cardboard cut-out and set it up on a chair.  Alan Ball shared an exclusive clip that showed scenes from the second half of the series, that revealed a whole lot of drama including Sookie being attacked by Sophie-Anne,  and hinted at Alcide and Sookie taking their friendship to the next level.  I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so you’ll have to wait and see!  One thing they did confirm for sure was that Manganiello is officially a series regular on the show.   Now there’s something to howl about.

- Michelle Bryant

Ray Subers, our colleague at Box Office Mojo, reports on Day 2 of Comic-Con.

While pre-existing hit shows like True Blood and The Big-Bang Theory dominated Ballroom 20 today, a handful of upcoming shows took to the smaller venues in the hopes of sparking some positive buzz ahead of their debuts.

Waking up bright and early, I was able to start my day off with the Hawaii Five-O reboot panel featuring stars Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, both of whom entered to boisterous applause. While they were obviously there to promote Hawaii Five-O, Lost and Battlestar Galactica were constantly being discussed. Unfortunately, neither Kim nor Park had seen the ending of the other’s show, so they were both amusingly subjected to major spoilers.

Next up was AMC’s The Walking Dead, which I will readily admit was my most anticipated panel due to my affinity for both zombie movies and AMC original programming (I heart Don Draper). From the beginning, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed: the audience (myself included) was blown away by the astounding five-minute trailer, which honestly looked better than most movie previews. The cast and crew provided some seriously great moments as well, including executive producer Frank Darabont‘s hilarious rant about the importance of tax incentives (they shoot the show in Georgia, not in Los Angeles) and the reveal that composer Bear McCreary (of Battlestar Galactica fame) will be handling the show’s music. Throughout the rest of the day I repeatedly overheard positive rumblings about the show, indicating that AMC could have yet another major hit on their hands.

A little later in the day I managed to catch the pilot episode of NBC’s The Cape, though thanks to a ridiculously rushed pace and questionable editing I initially thought I had watched select footage from the first few episodes. The show finds the only clean cop left in fictional Palm City framed for murder, left for dead, and forced to become a vigilante superhero. Based on the footage shown and the panel discussion afterward (which featured genre favorites Summer Glau and Vinnie Jones), the show seems aimed at filling the void left behind by the departure of Heroes, though the decidedly mixed audience reaction indicates the jury is still out on this one.

The most pleasant surprise of the day came from MTV’s Teen Wolf, of which I fully expected to disapprove of prior to the presentation (really, why would you make a TV version of Teen Wolf?). While the ten minutes of footage they showed was by no means groundbreaking, it was tense, atmospheric and well-written, and instantly made the main characters seem worth caring about. The young stars of the show seemed a bit nervous on the panel, though they did demonstrate some nice chemistry. An ongoing discussion was whether there was room for another werewolf or vampire show on television, to which star Tyler Hoechlin (Road to Perdition) cleverly quipped “there’s always room for something good on TV.” I couldn’t agree more, Tyler.

The last panel I was able to check out was for Falling Skies, a TNT series from executive producer Steven Spielberg that’s set to debut next June. They kicked things off with the trailer, which depicted survivors battling back, insurgency style, in the aftermath of an alien invasion. During the panel segment, ER‘s Noah Wyle and Terminator Salvation‘s Moon Bloodgood (looking splendid, I might add) amusingly answered what they would grab from Sears in the case of an actual alien invasion: Wyle went the practical route by opting for duct tape, while Bloodgood took a moment before deciding she’d track down some clean underwear.

-Ray Subers

Last night, 8 minutes of TRON: Legacy were unveiled, Guillermo del Toro announced a new project, and Battle: Los Angeles began its attack for supremacy over higher-profile blockbusters. And all that happened while stars like Angelina Jolie, Bruce Willis, and Helen Mirren made 2010 an especially royal year at Comic-Con. Perhaps the only disappointment was Brad Pitt‘s non-appearance for the Megamind panel, though watching Tina Fey cradle and caress a Pitt standee was an acceptable substitute.

Angelina Jolie

TRON: Legacy was the presentation of the day — better said, overall, the Disney panel was the most surprising and fan-friendly. Legacy offered up insights from Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, and Bruce Boxleitner, and it was the presence of TRON writer/director Steven Lisberger that created some moments where you could feel the 28 years between the original movie and its sequel bridging together. Director Joe Konsinski thrilled the crowd by involving us in an audio recording — fans chanted and stomped on command — that might be used for the film’s sound mix.

After Bridges, Boxleitner, et. al headed off-stage, suddenly the video screens flickered back to life, and Johnny Depp and a bottle of rum delivered a message from Captain Jack Sparrow on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (no real news, just an invite to see the fourth chapter of the saga). And then, Guillermo del Toro made his mysterious and much-publicized announcement: his next project will be … writing, producing, and possibly directing a live action version of Disney’s Haunted Mansion with a story that will reintroduce the Hatbox Ghost. His  joke about not returning Eddie Murphy‘s calls for the project was one of many harsh/hysterical quips from the day.

Battle: Los Angeles captivated the Hall H crowd, with the alien invasion movie looking like Black Hawk Down meets the video game “Modern Warfare”.  Live wire Michelle Rodriguez stoked the Q&A, though I’m still wondering if Aaron Eckhart is too pretty to be a Marine.

Angelina Jolie’s face looked amazing on the JumboTron screen, though the best thoughts on Salt and preparation for the action movie came from co-star Liev Schreiber, who considers the threats to his health and beauty before agreeing on any stuntwork. My eyes are on Salt’s opening weekend, and I still hope that Tom Cruise turns out to be the real Evelyn Salt.

Highlights from the evening: watching Robert Rodriguez and Danny Trejo make tacos for a hungry Machete crowd; bearing witness to Mr. Cartoon and some of the promotional art he created for the Machete event (stay tuned for more from him on a larger scale); listening to the cast of The Expendables help usher Sly Stallone into IGN’s Action Hero Hall of Fame; being so excited by the presence of William Fichtner that we temporarily forgot his name until a new friend at Lionsgate said, “You guys are IMDb, you should know it.”

Touché!