Prometheus
This afternoon at the 20th Century Fox panel, we were treated to a short reel of the new Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi film Prometheus. Along with co-writer Damon Lindelof and actress Charlize Theron, we were also given a live feed all the way to Iceland to hear what the man himself, Scott, had to say. Here is a recap of the panel along with the footage:
Footage
The look of this movie relies on the design of the first two films heavily. The influence of H.R. Giger is quite apparent. We’re given a lot of shots of vast spaceship halls filled with what looks to be alien egg pods from the original franchise, but these were different. Michael Fassbender is seen extracting the core of one of these pods, which looks green and oozy and extracting DNA and dropping it onto his finger. This somewhat verifies the rumors that the ‘creators of the universe’ were keepers of a DNA database. Then we see all hell break loose as each member of the team, Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Theron, deal with different members of the team becoming infected and dealing with the after affects. The scale of this film looks epic, very exciting.
Panel
The panel was moderated by the funny and witty Lindelof (of Lost fame and who co-wrote this film). There was a quick one-on-one between Lindelof and Theron about shooting the movie. One topic of discussion that kept coming up was the shot of Theron doing naked push-ups in the sizzle reel. Theron described her role as ‘the suit’ that is in control of the mission, but that changes near the 3rd act. During the on screen interview with Scott, we learn that the film is shot in 3D and that he loves the format so much, he will never shoot in another format again. He feels it brings much more depth to the film, especially for dialog shots. He also confirmed that there were not one, but two robots in this film. Scott then brought Rapace on screen for a few moments and then confirmed that it was the last day of shooting the film. He also commented that of all his films, this cast and this experience has been one of the best he’s ever worked with and the process the easiest. He gave thanks to Lindelof for his great work on the script.
Update: Video of the panel below.
Prometheus hits theaters June 2012.
In Time
In Time is a new sci-fi film directed by Andrew Niccol which stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, and Olivia Wilde.
Footage
The premise is almost a cross between Gattaca and Blade Runner. In a future society, you stop aging at 25 and have one year left to live. You either die, or you acquire more ‘time’. Some steal it, other’s buy it. The footage shown makes this look like a very heavy action vehicle for Timberlake. The other actors play minor roles along his journey or clearing himself of fraudulent charges after a man gifts him with 100+ years before committing suicide. Less stylized than Gattaca was, but still good for an action flick.
Panel
Again, we’re giving some quick quips by Lindelof and this time Timberlake steps in to be witty as well. Seyfried was also present and the pair talked about the premise of the film along with what it was like shooting the action scenes.
Check out the four-minute SDCC footage reel from In Time. The film hits theaters October 28th.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by Rupert Wyatt and starring James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, and Tom Felton.
Footage
We were shown a LOT of footage for this film. Three separate clips. The first depicting a breakfast scene with Franco, John Lithgow (as his father), and Caeser (the main ape). Caeser examines how Lithgow holds his spoon. After Franco leaves the pair alone, Lithgow has an episode due to his Alzheimers. He climbs into a neighbors car and wrecks it. The neighbor picks a fight with Lithgow and Caeser comes to the rescue assaulting him and eventually chomping off one of his digits. The next clip we are shown is Caeser breaking out of the kennel, stealing the experimental drugs, and dosing the remaining apes while the lab is closed, unbeknownst to everyone. The last clip is of the intellectual apes wreaking havoc on the city and the authorities trying to contain the situation.
Panel
Andy Serkis was on hand to talk about the motion capture for this movie and we were shown some side-by-side comparisons. He also commented that all his Gollum shots for The Hobbit were completed and he was now concentrating on directing the second unit.
You’ll get a chance to Rise of the Planet of the Apes soon, as it hits theaters August 5th.