“Looks like we’re ready to make some chimi-f–king-changas in here!”
With multiple superhero franchises from multiple differing studios vying for the world’s attention at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, it’s probably not the easiest job separating yourself from the pack. Unlike WB’s panel during which, for example, the Green Lantern Corps film was announced, Fox didn’t disclose much of their future plans. More emphasis was placed on the showing of early footage, available only to those in attendance (for now).
Untitled ‘The Wolverine‘ Sequel
Hugh Jackman appeared on stage after the screening of a reel celebrating the 15th anniversary of the first X-Men film. Fittingly, he used this moment to say that “Wolverine’s not dead in the films yet” and that all he has to say about this film is “Old Man Logan.” This is allegedly Jackman’s last performance as the character, but without footage or real news, this panel was really more of a segue into the Apocalypse panel.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Set 10 years after the (past) events of Days of Future Past, Apocalypse takes place in a world where mutants are now (mostly) accepted. The titular villain, played by Oscar Isaac, uses his powers of persuasion to convince certain mutants that ‘his way is the right way.’ Having hung up his cape and evil shenanigans, Magneto (Michael Fassbender) now has a love interest–and potentially a family?)–but is drawn back in Michael Corleone-style by Apocalypse. Not much more of the plot was revealed, but they did reveal a gorgeous poster.
Sixteen–count ’em, sixteen–of the film’s cast members were brought out, including fan favourites and newcomers alike. Among the newcomers were Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler), and Olivia Munn (Psylocke), who made an uncomfortably awkward joke about deepthroating a hot dog. Come to think of it, much of this panel was incredibly awkward. With such a massive cast, only one question was asked: tell us about your character in this film. Naturally, such a vapid question produced unremarkable answers from everyone, especially Evan Peters (Quiksilver: ‘He runs really fast…I dunno what else) and Tye Sheridan (Cyclops – “He shoots lasers out of his eyes…and he’s angry. Yeah).Colour me unimpressed. The “check out this massive superhero cast combining all these people you love in one film!!!” tactic isn’t so earth-shattering the second-time round. A massive group selfie was taken at the end, including the casts of the Apocalypse, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four–oh, and Channing Tatum as a nod to the upcoming Gambit. Even with that selfie, this panel lacked all of the energy that made the DoFP panel so great last year. Next.
Fantastic Four
Why was this movie even at Comic Con? It comes out in under a month, what were they hoping to accomplish? No news here, just further insights into the prequel-esque nature of the story, and the character dynamics. Josh Trank claimed he hadn’t visited Comic-Con since he was 15 because it became ‘too hollywood’ for him. Alright, Josh.
Deadpool
The Deadpool trailer was by far the most successful aspect of Fox’s panel- go figure. The audience loved it so much, it was screened twice. Ryan Reynolds cheekily touched on the irony of footage leaks, saying “one year ago to almost today, some asshole in here leaked that footage… and that’s why we’re standing here. … You guys–the internet, fans–you made the studio do this.” Maybe Fox should take a hint. Reynolds also expressed surprised that they were allowed to make Deadpool an R-Rated film, calling it an absolute miracle. Once again, no real news here, just reaffirmations from everyone present that the footage was top-notch. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.And that’s that. Unless they decide to release the footage, that’s a wrap for Fox at Comic Con this year.
What did you guys think of their panel?