Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice full trailer airs
The world is in turmoil in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – at least that how it seems in the first full trailer for the superhero film. Audiences at Comic-Con International, which ended yesterday in San Diego, were treated to an extended look at how Ben Affleck's Batman decides to fight Henry Cavill's Superman in Zack Snyder's film. The powerful and godlike Superman is blamed for a massive tragedy and deemed a threat to society. The vigilante Batman attempts to take control of the situation.
Affleck, Cavill and Snyder were joined on the Hall H stage by co-stars Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg and Amy Adams to talk about the legacy of their characters. Gadot plays Wonder Woman, Eisenberg is Lex Luthor and Adams reprises her role as Lois Lane.
Affleck said if he thought too hard about the actors who’d played the part of Batman before, he wouldn’t have taken the job. His Batman is different. As Snyder told him, he’s older and a burnt-out.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theatres on March 25, 2016.
Suicide Squad
The first footage of director David Ayer's Suicide Squad was shown at Comic-Con to thunderous applause. Audiences saw the misfit supervillains being recruited by Viola Davis's Amanda Waller to conduct shadowy missions.
As Deadshot, Will Smith says in the trailer: “So that’s it, we’re the patsies. We’re some kind of suicide squad. So let’s save the world.”
The trailer also showed a sinister, snivelling Jared Leto as The Joker.
The cast, including Smith, Margot Robbie and Davis walked on stage, waved, and exited quickly.
Suicide Squad opens on August 5 of next year.
X-Men
Bryan Singer revealed that X-Men: Apocalypse takes place in 1983, 10 years after the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past.
He said in this world, “mutants are for the most part accepted and embraced by society”.
The filmmakers also showed the first footage, compiled from about five weeks of shooting. Fans got a peek at the villain Apocalypse, played by Oscar Isaac. The trailer hinted at the threats facing the mutants and showed a bald James McAvoy as Professor X and Sophie Turner as a young Jean Grey.
Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Raven/Mystique, said her character is a little more Raven in this outing.
X-Men: Apocalypse hits theatres on May 27.
Quentin Tarantino’s latest
Quentin Tarantino says that even though he "screamed and yelled" when his script for The Hateful Eight leaked early last year, it didn't affect his process.
He debuted a seven-minute reel of the Civil War-era Western starring Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bruce Dern.
About the script leak, Tarantino said he was mainly dismayed that it was a first draft that still needed to be worked on.
After the incident, Tarantino filed a lawsuit against Gawker Media, when one of the company’s blogs published a link to download the script.
He said: “It just got more public than I wanted it to get.”
Boyhood – Simpson style
Springfield is welcoming a few new celebrity residents.
The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean told fans at Comic-Con that Stephen Merchant, Michael York, Kate McKinnon and "all the girls from Girls" will be among the celebrity voices appearing next season.
Guillermo del Toro, who directed an opening sequence for the show’s Halloween special, joined Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) and the producers on stage.
Del Toro later petitioned Simpsons creator Matt Groening on stage to cast him as Bumblebee Man's brother.
The producers also teased that Bart Simpson will be the focus of a Boyhood-inspired episode, featuring Bart at various ages of his life.
“That was one of the hardest episodes I’ve ever voiced,” said Cartwright. She demonstrated for the crowd of about 5,000 fans what Bart sounded like saying “eat my shorts” at age 2, 14, 22 and 40.
Lily James shows off zombie slayer side
Lily James has transformed from a princess into a zombie slayer.
The star of Cinderella was at Comic-Con on Saturday to show off footage from her latest film, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
The fairy-tale princess and zombie-killer have more in common than it might seem, James said.
“Both of them are so strong and independent and fierce,” she said. “And to get to play women like that is just so wonderful because it doesn’t always happen and they don’t always exist in film.”
In Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, set for release next year, James plays Elizabeth Bennett, one of five killer zombie-slayers "who push the men aside and stride into a horde of the undead."
The 26-year-old actress said she enjoyed learning to fight and perform stunts for the role, adding, "I'm hoping that Cinderella 2 might have zombies in it."
