Wrapping up Comic-Con

As Comic-Con is drawing to a close today, it seems safe to say there weren’t any big surprises this year. Nonetheless, there was enough to excite film fans. One of the highlights probably was the full cast of The Avengers appearing on stage.

This is exciting for two reasons. First of all, there’s the combination of big names such as Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and director Joss Whedon. But perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that we can finally see the continuity of the Marvel universe taking shape, even where the actors are concerned (with the exception of Edward Norton, who was replaced by Mark Ruffalo to play The Hulk). Two members of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will get their separate releases prior to The Avengers hitting theatres in Spring of 2012: Captain America and Thor were both featured in the Marvel panel before the Avengers spotlight moment. Captain America: The First Avenger has just started shooting so all they showed was some teaser material (/Film has a detailed description). Thor is in post-production (set for a release in Spring of next year) and the scenes that were shown were a Comic-Con highlight according to Deadline’s Luke Y Thompson.

In other Comic-Con news: there was the Expendables panel (disappointing, because the rumored appearance by the Governator did not happen), some more TRON: Legacy and people trying to make sense of footage from the only original production featured here: Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch.

Comic-Con casts its shadow

With Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego drawing near, it’s no surprise that the movie news this week centered around comic book adaptations. The one that is closest to release (October 15) is Red, based on a graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. Ellis and Hamner will both make an appearance in San Diego (source: Bigfanboy), along with the movie’s stars Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren (source: HitFix).

Among the many projects based on the X-Men franchise that are in some stage of development, X-Men First Class seems to be the one that is actually about to start filming. This one is to be a prequel to the original trilogy centering on the early years of Xavier’s students, a concept explored in the comic book series of the same title. Many rumours and confirmations this week regarding the casting. /Film seems to have the most accurate rundown.

Another classic comic franchise that is finally finding its way to the big screen is Green Lantern. The movie will be based on the Silver Age Green Lantern: test pilot Hal Jordan. Entertainment Weekly had the movie’s star Ryan Reynolds on its cover in full Lantern costume. Uhm… maybe not quite… since the thing is completely computer generated in the movie, they seem to have painted or photoshopped something onto Ryan’s face for this cover (according to /Film). The movie is set to be released in June of next year, by the way.

And finally, there’s Thor (due out May 2011). Kenneth Branagh directed an impressive cast, including Nathalie Portman, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopkins and the young Chris Hemsworth as the title character. Branagh will be talking about the project at Comic-Con. Meanwhile, the LA Times reports that Thor will be released in 3D, which is to be applied retroactively. Oh boy…