By Scott Bowles and Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
Comic-Con 2009, which ended Sunday in San Diego, drew 125,000 fans, who traveled many miles and waited in line for hours just for glimpses of favorite stars and sneak peeks at movies, TV series and, of course, comics. USA TODAY hits a few highlights:
All the faces of 'Iron Man 2'
A raucous crowd of 6,500 filled Hall H of the Convention Center for Iron Man 2, which unofficially closed the movie portion of Comic-Con on Saturday. The trailer for the original film two years ago helped make Iron Man a blockbuster and put Comic-Con on the map.
The new four-minute preview showed Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark refusing to turn over his suit to the government, Scarlett Johansson making mincemeat of a foe as Black Widow, Sam Rockwell dealing weapons as Justin Hammer, and Don Cheadle suiting up as War Machine. "This is the most important time for me," director Jon Favreau said of Comic-Con, "more important than the premiere, the screenings. This is when we show them the gist of the movie, what we've got. If we don't get them now, I'm not sure how you get them back."
Then there's Gary Oldman. The British actor, making his first visit to Comic-Con, is a beloved presence for his work in The Dark Knight, BatmanBegins, The Fifth Element and two Harry Potters. Here to promote his apocalyptic thriller The Book of Eli, Oldman understands the popularity of the films.
But he can't quite get his head around the adulation he receives for his roles. "People especially remember you as a villain," says Oldman, who has played some larger-than-life bad guys in movies including Element, Eli and The Professional. "I'm not sure how I ever got those parts," he says. "I'm a pretty small guy. Naked, I look like a bald chicken."
For Jackson, a chance to be 'daring'
Peter Jackson, architect of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, isn't known for going small. But the Oscar-winning director is looking pretty comfortable hawking District 9, which he produced.
Making the low-budget sci-fi thriller "reminded me how much I enjoyed doing small films," says Jackson, who started out directing cheap horror flicks. "You can be so much more daring. It feels good to be involved in guerrilla filmmaking."
Guerrilla is right. District 9, which became a talker after its debut here Friday, is not your typical alien movie. Directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp, the film is shot documentary-style, and the aliens aren't the blow-up-the-White-House type. Instead, they're forced into South African ghettos. "I told Neill to enjoy this," Jackson says. "It doesn't get more fun than this. When you do bigger movies, you can't take as many chances."
Cameron climbs back into driver's seat
Making a movie, James Cameron says, is a lot like riding a bike. "You never really forget," says Cameron, whose 3-D extravaganza Avatar is the director's first feature in 12 years. "It felt very natural, even though the technology has changed. I couldn't wait to get started shooting."
Cameron has spent four years creating the technology behind his film, about a war between mankind and the indigenous population of the planet Pandora. The Comic-Con crowd rose to its feet after the 25-minute reel and was buzzing about the improved 3-D effects. But Cameron hopes the film isn't buzzed about more for its toys than its script. "If I'm doing my job right, all of that technology will slowly disappear, and people will forget everything but the story."
New level of fame with 'New Moon'
Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson ought to be used to fame by now. But there's a big difference between Hollywood fame and Comic-Con fame. He and co-stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner found that out as they took the stage in front of 6,500 screaming fans to show footage from The Twilight Saga: New Moon, out Nov. 20.
"This year, I have something to say," he cracked, joking about last year's Comic-Con, which left him nearly speechless. "It's much more terrifying."
The crowd, made up largely of young girls (some camped out for two days), lost it when Lautner removed his shirt in one scene to tend to Stewart's blood-dappled forehead. "The energy in there is almost physical," Stewart says. "You can literally feel it. It was amazing to see that many fans in one place."
Director Chris Weitz says it drove home just how much is at stake. "I've inherited some very big, ladylike shoes," says Weitz, who is taking over the franchise after Catherine Hardwicke directed the 2008 original. "But I've inherited a great story, great fans."
'True' love heats up
As HBO's True Blood enters the second half of Season 2, expect the romantic triangle between mind reader Sookie (Anna Paquin) and vampires Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) to heat up.
Skarsgard says Sookie "comes along, and there's something different about her. For the first time in a really long time, (Eric is) curious." He told the Comic-Con crowd he'd personally like to see the relationship intensify: "Just look at her," he said, referring to Paquin on the panel. But he quickly followed with an apology: "I'm sorry, Stephen." (Moyer and Paquin are an item in real life.)
Series creator Alan Ball said that viewers can expect a third season: "It's not officially announced, but I think it will be pretty soon."
Deeper stories for 'Heroes'
The new fall volume for NBC's Heroes, "Redemption," places the super-folk back in their ordinary lives after a season as fugitives. "But what does ordinary life look like when you have powers? Do you hide? Do you try to fit in?" creator Tim Kring asked.
Though the low-rated third season was panned by critics, there was no evidence of lost enthusiasm in the packed audience, and neither cast nor fans raised any concerns about Season 3. The new volume includes new people with abilities, hiding in plain sight by working at a carnival. New cast members include Prison Break's Robert Knepper, whose character is an earthmover, and Ray Park, whose character has super speed.
Kring said there will be fewer stories per episode this season, with the goal of "going deeper, not wider." And Claire (Hayden Panettiere) will be headed to college, where she makes friends with another student (Madeline Zima). "I think you guys are going to like us together," Panettiere said, before cooling down the crowd. "Not in that way."
Learn a little about 'Lost' happenings
Did Jack's plan to detonate an atomic bomb succeed in undoing Lost's plane crash? A couple of fake commercials during Lost's session hinted the explosion that closed Season 5 may have averted the crash that started the ABC series. One featured an Oceanic Airlines ad promoting 30 years of "perfect safety" since 1979, which would seem to preclude the crash in 2004. Other tidbits dropped by executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse:
•A back story will explain the non-aging Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell).
•Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), who was next to the bomb when it detonated, will return, as will Faraday (Jeremy Davies), who appeared to have been shot and killed earlier last season.
•Characters whom viewers haven't seen since Season 1 will return for the sixth and final season.
Ex-Lostie Dominic Monaghan (who'll star in ABC's FlashForward) made a surprise appearance.
Happier times at '24,' but not for long
Season 8 of 24 opens to a glitzier, shinier CTU — and a brighter life for hero Jack Bauer. Fortunately for fans, the clouds roll in quickly.
A clip showed the headquarters of the Counter Terrorist Unit, back after being disbanded at the end of Season 6, all chrome and glass and cool lights. And Jack's not only still alive, but in a happy place, spending time with his daughter and granddaughter, executive producer Manny Coto said.
Trouble appears at a U.N. peace conference with President Taylor (Cherry Jones) and the president of Iran (Anil Kapoor). A possible assassination attempt draws Jack out of "retirement," said star Kiefer Sutherland. "This season is more grounded in what possibly could happen. There's a sense of reality that almost brings it back to Season 1," he said.
Freddie Prinze Jr. joins the cast as CTU agent Cole Ortiz, and Katee Sackhoff plays his fiancée, Dana Walsh, a CTU data analyst.
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