Action Films and Super Heroes Own Hall H: X-Men, Avengers and Justice League’s Epic Announcements

Epic is the best word to describe what transpired Saturday in San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H. Saturday is traditionally the day where fans expect the studios to hit it big but this year, they took things to a whole other level. Fangirls and fanboys everywhere, brace yourselves for exciting film news!

Here are the highlights:

Warner Bros.

When Man of Steel and 300 Director Zack Snyder appeared on stage, the Hall H atmosphere kicked into high gear – the crowd knew they were about to hear something extraordinary. Then, when Man of Steel actor Harry Lennix joined Snyder and began quoting Frank Miller’s 1986 book “The Dark Knight Returns,” the crowd roared.

We finally get a Justice League movie! Details about the film (or should I say potential franchise?!) were not offered but I’m hoping it means Christopher Nolan is committed to producing the endeavor. Christian Bale has previously stated he’s done playing Batman, so get ready for speculation about who will play the Dark Knight.

When Aaron Eckhart was asked how Frankenstein rated among all the tough characters he’s played, he rated him an 11 out 10.

When Aaron Eckhart was asked how Frankenstein rated among all the tough characters he’s played, he rated him an 11 out of 10.

Lionsgate

I, Frankenstein’s lead Aaron Eckhart was joined on stage by co-star Yvonne Strahovski, writer Kevin Grevioux and writer-director Stuart Betty. The trailer showcased a much livelier and human-like Frankenstein than we’ve seen in past film versions. Betty explained how this Frankenstein is less scarred too as he jokingly hinted at how challenging it was to make Eckhart bad looking. Agreed! According to Eckhart, the film is post Mary Shelly and takes place modern day, but stays true to Shelley’s tradition of focusing on a strong human story. More specifically, Eckhart says the film explores what it means to be human: “All he wants is someone to share his life with.” I, Frankenstein is slated for a January 24, 2014 release.

Jennifer Lawrence said her favorite costume to look at was her character’s wedding dress and although beautiful, it was huge.

Catching Fire, out November 22, is one of the most anticipated films this year, and its panel was one of the most coveted sessions of the entire SDCC. Lenny Kravitz (Cinna) playfully responded to a fan question wondering if the multi-generational cast got along, meaning do the older actors get along with their younger cast members. Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) attempted to provide a serious answer by explaining how everyone got along, there were no divas on set, and how it felt like camp, but Lawrence said it felt like a retirement home!

Throughout the panel, Hutcherson and Lawrence chit-chatted with one another and really seemed to get along. My observations about them were validated by Jeffrey Wright (Beetee) when he pointed out how the pair has “a language of their own,” hinting at their strong friendship.

The camaraderie seemed to extend to the rest of the cast as well. Jenna Malone, who plays Johanna Mason, apparently was regularly pranked on set by Willow Shields (Primrose Everdeen). Although Liam Hemsworth sarcastically commented how fun it had been to film Gale’s torture scenes, he didn’t hesitate to horse around at the end of the panel with Hutcherson. Regarding the “older” actors, Wright boasted about his newfound popularity at his kids’ school thanks to the film. Kravitz yet again showcased his swagger, and although he reiterated his love for music, pointed out his enjoyment of getting to play Cinna, who he considers a really cool cat.

20th Century Fox

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes cast members Keri Russell, Jason Clarke, and Andy Serkis seemed fairly peppy considering they had filmed until 5am that morning, and then flew to San Diego for the panel. The film consists of a Caesar-centric story and the trailer features a fierce-looking Caesar. It appears Caesar will try to infuse some of the humanity he learned while being raised by humans into his community, but getting apes and humans to coexist sure looks like a daunting task.

Hugh Jackman expressed his appreciation for getting to play Wolverine.

With a July 26 release date, it wasn’t surprising to see Hugh Jackman on stage promoting The Wolverine. Jackman expressed his appreciation for having the opportunity to play the character, which now has tied with Superman in the number of appearances in films. In this film, Logan becomes embroiled in a conflict in Japan. For those who haven’t noticed, his claws have been upgraded too. They’re now able to cut three ways!

When Bryan Singer introduced a clip and the cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past, Hall H was on the verge of imploding! Due to actor sightings, rumors had been circulating all day about how Marvel could pull a big show for their panel, but no one was certain of its scale. Seeing the cast together, which included three Oscar winners—Jennifer Lawrence, Anna Paquin and the fabulously pregnant Halle Berry—and thinking about the actors’ individual filmographies was both exciting and overwhelming.

Michael Fassbender and James McEvoy were the jokesters of the X-Men presentation.

Michael Fassbender showed up on stage wearing a “You’re Next” mask from an earlier panel. Fassbender said if he couldn’t play Magneto, he would go for Mystique, while Ian McKellen would take any female character so he could finally win an Oscar – an answer that drew strong audience applause!

Marvel

Everyone in Hall H was speculating about what Marvel may have in store after the amazing 20^th Century Fox presentation. Just when most people thought they had a tough act to follow, Marvel came out swinging. Tom Hiddleston addressed the hall in character: “It seems I have an army,” he said amusingly and the crowd went wild. I was fully engaged in his performance until I realized Chris Hemsworth wasn’t going to join in – no disrespect meant to Hiddleston who I love as Loki. However, how can you not have Thor in the Thor panel? Tsk, tsk! This is just a suggestion but if Hemsworth wasn’t available, Idris Elba would have been great too.

The trailer of the next installment in the Captain America series had what I considered to be the second most intense fight sequence we got to see that afternoon, right behind The Wolverine. Chris Evans was joined on stage by Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Seth Williams (Falcon) and Scarlett Johanson (Natasha Romanoff). The clip ended with a great shot of Stan, who looks fantastic as Bucky! You’ll see Evans and crew in action on November 8 when Captain America: The Winter Soldier debuts.

Next, we got a preview of Guardians of the Galaxy with Chris Pratt, Benicio del Toro, Michael Rooker, Zoe Saldana, and Karen Gillan attending. Being on their 13^th day of filming, the cast flew in from London just to attend Comic-Con. The only exception was Del Toro who hadn’t started filming yet and came straight from LA (and gave a shout out to the Dodgers!).

Karen Gillan unveiled she shaved her head to play Nebula while Michael Rooker urged The Walking Dead fans to let go of Merle Dixon.

Pratt’s sense of humor during the panel provided a glimpse of why he was cast in the Peter Quill/Star-Lord role, especially when he joked he had gotten the role six months ago and was trusted to lose weight for it. Gillan surprised everyone by shaving her head to play Nebula while Rooker took the public service announcement route, urging The Walking Dead fans to let go of his character, Merle Dixon.

Marvel saved their biggest news for last. Joss Whedon announced the official title of the second Avengers film: The Avengers: Age of Ultron!

As I looked at the Comic-Con schedule earlier in the week in anticipation of the convention, my expectation held firm that 2013 was going to be a year in which TV reigned supreme. Boy, was I wrong! I’ll never underestimate the movie studios again. The combination of unannounced cast appearances and new footage generated much excitement. Most important, it was good to see the superheroes take center stage at Comic-Con again. In thinking about how the convention originated, I’m happy they ruled the Con once again.

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elleL

Soaker of life. I like to experience things and see the world. I consider myself a professional traveler. My love for movies and television goes way back but I'm a sucker for action-oriented films and shows. Oh, and I make excellent martinis! Follow me on twitter @LutzElle.