WonderCon coverage continues, as I got a chance to sit down as a part of a round table interview with actor Stephen Collins (7th Heaven, Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and then with writer/executive producer Rockne S. O’Bannon. I also covered the Revolution panel, and have a similarly formatted interview with star Elizabeth Mitchell. In other words, it was a Revolution-inspiring Friday.

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 OF "REVOLUTION" FOLLOW.

First up was Stephen Collins, who joined Revolution in season 2 as Dr. Gene Porter, Rachel Matheson’s father. He also just so happens to be a traitor, as we find out he’s been secretly working for the Patriots. Not coincidentally, the show got much better once the veteran actor gifted the ensemble with his presence.

But enough about Revolution, let’s go back 35 years to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), a film in which Collins played a character by the name of Decker. What kind of legacy has that role left for Collins? Stephen’s quick to point out that when the first movie came out, there had been only 3 seasons of the original Star Trek TV show, and it had been nine years since. All of the actors on set were excited and thrilled. DeForest Kelly (or Bones to you) befriended Collins on set, and gave him sage wisdom: “Star Trek will always be part of your life.”

That wherever Collins goes, that Trek fans will follow. Collins has written books, produced music, and whenever he does events, even now, 15-20% are Star Trek fans. He calls them the “smartest, most thoughtful people.” At the time, the movie was perceived as a failure. Clearly, it wasn’t, since it spawned a slew of other movies, TV shows, and a franchise that will remain with us forever. I could’ve listened to him talk about Star Trek forever; what a fascinating point to be enmeshed with the franchise; a fulcrum of cinematic and TV history, a period when Star Trek wasn’t yet more than just the original cast.

Jumping to the present: what can he tell us about the last four episodes of Revolution‘s second season?
The “Patriots are gonna pull out more stops; they’re making their final push.” The pure element of survival comes into play. At this point, if Stephen himself was a character, he’d be ready to go. “Just shoot me,” and he’s not referring to anything to do with David Spade. In fact, he admits that if Revolution happened in real life, “I’d be gone so fast.”

Like Elizabeth Mitchell, he’s quick to point out how hardened the survivors have become, from being continually pushed hard against. It’s hard not to see the parallels with The Walking Dead in how the survivors are discussed, and the notion that “anyone” can die.

What would you like to see happen in Season 3?The coolest stuff Collins revealed had to do with some awesome sequences upcoming with a steam locomotive. They found one three and a half hours from Austin, and moved set there for a week to shoot scenes on it, producing a “really cool action sequence.” They built a crane to shoot the scene, and according to Collins, it was the biggest crane ever built for filmmaking. Collins described the scenes “like playing cowboys and Indians at the richest kid in the world’s house.” The 8 year old in him loved it.

“I would love to see an episode all about water, [and] answer the question about water in this world.” He’s fascinated by where they get water in the town. Is there good or bad water? Water would seemingly be the commodity, and whomever possesses it would have a tremendous amount of power. It sounds like a smart and interesting way to squeeze more out of this post-apocalyptic world, and it’ll be interesting if Stephen’s idea is touched on.

What’s he up to during the show’s hiatus?
Now that he’s older, he’s not trying to jam in another job during a break. It’s been nine days since they stopped shooting, but to Stephen, it feels like one. He’s happy to take it easy…though he won’t shy away if Martin Scorsese comes calling.

Following Stephen was one of the new writers and EP’s on Revolution for its second season, Rockne S. O’Bannon (Farscape, who’s about to be a lot busier).

What’s your take on the last four episodes of season 2?
The nano technology storyline dove tails and comes together with everything else that’s been going on, as the Patriot subplot amps up. We can expect every character to have a huge life changing event. Following Charlie’s fatal shooting of Jason, the reverberations for Charlie and Neville will be felt throughout the show. Rockne describes Neville as a father who was fine beating on his son (literally and figuratively), assuming he’d always have time to make amends and patch things up. That opportunity was robbed of him, and now he’s lost his entire family over this season, and we’re going to see what that does to him.

Are there any more casualties to come?
“No one is safe.” You never know, and we will see that in the last four episodes.

How are the show’s ratings?
They are incredibly consistent, and “NBC seems behind us to tell stories,” and are “excited to see scripts,” which in turn, makes Rockne excited. That said: “We’re not out of the woods.” Creator Eric Kripke (Supernatural) is pitching season 3 as we speak, which is kind of spooky.

What happens if NBC doesn’t want Season 3? Would it go elsewhere?
Rockne obviously doesn’t want to find out, but “it’s the kind of show” that could translate to other networks and have the fan support to survive, but he doesn’t know. Revolution isn’t an inexpensive show, but he’s proud that it “looks like nothing else on network TV.” It’s a possibility to have legs beyond NBC, should that be necessary.

Lastly, a fan question ended our afternoon sojourn with Revolution. Who is older: Miles or Ben?
This even stumps Rockne. “I don’t know.” He guesses Ben, but he does so as a fan himself, and not with any certainty.

Before this weekend, I had a fair amount of certainty that I was done with Revolution. The panel and this round table discussion has revitalized my interest, making my to-binge list even more unwieldy. Thanks a lot, WonderCon.

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For many hardcore fans, the big ticket item for the first day of WonderCon 2014 was the world premiere of Son of Batman, a film adaptation of Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert’s 2006 comic book that gives us Damien Wayne’s origin story.

Son of Batman is stunningly DCU’s 20th original film, and the second featuring new Batman voice Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars, Terra Nova).

As the lights dim, and the movie begins, one devout DC fan shouts “Marvel sucks,” which is just silly. But, it is clear that the animation realm is where DC excels, and Son of Batman is no exception, as we get some stunning, Japanese inspired animation to tell the story of one of the more divisive heroes in the DC universe.

We open on the League of Shadows fortress, with Ra’s Al Ghul (Breaking Bad and Revolution‘s Giancarlo Esposito) promising the League to his grandson Damien. That would be Damien Wayne, a love child between Talia Al Ghul (Firefly and Homeland‘s Morena Baccarin) and Bruce Wayne (the aforementioned Jason O’Mara), one that Talia has until now, kept secret from the Bat. Within moments, the League is attacked, as a ton of agents and helicopters rain down on the stronghold, showering the League assassins in bullets. Since no other League member is worth their salt, its up to Talia and Ra’s to fight back against hundreds of faceless villains. Sheer numbers and firepower win out, and it doesn’t hurt that the enemy is led by one Slade Wilson (Thomas Gibson) AKA Deathstroke AKA DC’s new favorite antihero. In Son of Batman, he’s all evil. We’re blessed with a brief fight between Ra’s and Deathstroke, that’s interrupted by a massive rocket taking down the building, incinerating Ra’s al Ghul in the process.

That’s when Damien springs to action, and it’s clear that having the DNA of Ra’s Al Ghul, Talia and Bruce Wayne is nice to have, as he cuts through Deathstroke’s army like butter, and even goes toe to toe with Slade himself, taking out his eye in one of the first moments that elicited unbridled cheers from the audience. Deathstroke flees, but the damage is done: Ra’s al Ghul is unable to make it to the Lazarus Pits before finally succumbing to death (though I still doubt it). This leaves a power vacuum at the top of the League of Shadows, one that Deathstroke intends to fill.

After the tragedy, Black WidowTalia decides it’s time to tell Bruce that he has an annoying, hyper-violent, maybe psychotic, defiant tween. Talia comes to Bruce, reveals the truth, and literally sails away on a boat seconds later, leaving Batman to take care of his seed. It plays out like a sitcom, which is hilarious. Damien sets the tone of their early relationship when he comments: “I thought you’d be taller.” He also thought the Bat Cave would be bigger, and calls the Robin outfit insipid and never wastes a second in ridiculing the garish outfit. Of course, fans will know that he’ll soon wear it himself, because he’s a young kid in Batman’s care. That’s just what happens.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kirk Langstrom (Being Human‘s Xander Berkeley) is hard at work on a breakthrough, clearly under conscription by Ra’s al Ghul. Now his deal shifts to Deathstroke…who’s not as forgiving, and kidnaps his family as leverage, because that always brings out the best work in scientists. Comic book or cartoon fans will know that Kirk Langstrom comes to be known as Man-Bat. In this film, he makes a slew of them, and a Bat-Gorilla, which is as ridiculous as it sounds.

Damien’s arrival obviously puts a crimp in Batman’s style, but luckily Alfred (David McCallum) is there to make wry, sarcastic and dry remarks. He’s none too pleased by Damien’s demeanor and trying attitude either. Every quip Alfred makes is pure comedic genius. It’s a shame that he doesn’t deliver every line. Damien’s intent on getting revenge on Deathstroke, to avenge his grandfather’s death, but Batman, of course, preaches the whole “no death” thang, putting the pair at odds, as they try to take on Deathstroke and Dr. Langstrom’s horde of medical monstrosities.

The movie is filled with appearances by other significant Bat-characters, including fan-favorite Nightwing (Firefly‘s Sean Maher), who’s used as a get out of jail free card throughout, along with a few brief glimpses at the villains you’d expect to fill up Arkham, and several others I don’t want to spoil.

There are some awesome sequences, a few missed opportunities (they skip over a Nightwing/Damien fight), but thanks to beautiful artwork, way too many gratuitous shots of Talia’s cleavage, great voice acting and a solid story, Son of Batman doesn’t disappoint in bringing Damien Wayne to celluloid for the first time. While Damien’s abilities made him seem more like the son of Superman, I suppose that’s par for the course for a cartoon hero.

Son of Batman arrives on HD stream April 22nd. Order it here. The DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack arrives May 6th, and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

If there’s a dark cloud hanging over the sunny festivities of WonderCon, it’s likely the sexual abuse allegations that have been thrown director Bryan Singer’s way. He had been planned to represent his newest film, the epic gigantic crazy mind$#%# X-Men: Days of Future Past, but those were obviously squashed.

But the FOX presentation for X-Men: Days Of Future Past still went on, with writer and X-architect Simon Kinberg there to take his place.

It was a brief panel, but it’s hard not to get excited about this movie, even if it seems destined to either rule or blow up completely.

As Kinberg states, it’s the “biggest collection of X-Men on the screen” and of course, features time travel, something fraught with difficulty. It was, in fact, the trickiest part of the movie, and especially the screenplay (that Kinberg worked on). They wanted to use real science, but if that was the case, they wouldn’t have time travel. They met with physicists, and actually got a big assist from a film time travel guru, one James Cameron, who gave them advice, and scientific evidence to study. According to Kinberg, they were really meticulous with how time travel worked. They set up rules at the very beginning of the movie and stick with them throughout. As long as they do that, I think we’ll all follow. But I don’t think many are going to see DOFP for “realistic” time travel science. They’ll likely be disappointed.

Then, those at the panel were given a taste of the latest trailer, one that no has seen on the big screen until now. Even cooler, we got to see an extended version of the opening battle that has also been introduced online, and we’re the first to see this extended clip.

Again, spoilers.

It doesn’t disappoint, even if it seems crazy spoiler-y. But clearly, with the time travel elements, any deaths or big events can or aim to be rebooted, and especially since they’re showing this scene before the movie hits, all is not what it seems. Essentially, the scene involves the new, future-y Sentinels and the young X-Men, both new and old to the films, from Blink, Sunspot, Shadowcat, Iceman, Colossus, Warpath and Bishop. It doesn’t go well for the group, but we get to see how Blink and Sunspot’s powers will translate to the big screen, and how Iceman and Colossus’ powers have developed since X3. Blink looks super cool, I’ll say, while the others look a bit too heavy CGI/shiny. It ends with almost everyone dead, but Shadowcat and Bishop are able to transport/time travel? away, in the nick of time (“Too late, assholes.”).

Kinberg mentions that “Days of Future Past” was his favorite X-Men story growing up, and also owns up on some past mistakes by the franchise. We “probably should’ve done better with Dark Phoenix, but this is our attempt to make a cool “Days of Future Past.” They are literally going back and righting our wrongs, like the characters.

The mood and colors of the past and future provide rich contrast. The 70′s gives a bright, splashy color palette, while the future is dark and somber.

James McAvoy‘s first day on set was the scenes between him and Patrick Stewart, a daunting task. It was the bridge between the two time periods and cast, and was referred to as the “nose off,” because they were filmed in profile, and it displayed their significant noses.

The discussion turned to Peter Dinklage, as most do these days. He’s playing the villain in the film, Bolivar Trask, the creator of the Sentinels. Kinberg didn’t write with him in mind, but like everybody else, he’s obsessed with Game of Thrones. They needed an actor who could stand up to the big level of actors they have (McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, etc.) Dinklage very quickly became their first and only choice. According to Kinberg, he’s spectacular in the film, and gives gravity and humanity to Trask, “hard to with a villain.” Not a well written one.

The film does indeed have Richard Nixon in it, and not just clips like First Class had of JFK. There are significant scenes between Nixon and mutants, Nixon and Trask, and they posit that the Watergate tapes that went missing had something to do with mutants. Does he hate mutants? It’s not black and white; Nixon is a complicated dude.

Hugh Jackman didn’t get much off time between shooting Wolverine and DOFP, but he actually preferred that, because he didn’t go up and down from his insane diet and workout regimen. Wolverine, of course, was the only guy in both time periods, so he had the most important role in the film. Because Wolverine. Hugh gets to play two versions of the character, as they made Wolverine the character to go back in time, and not Kitty like in the comic books, for a lot of reasons (because Wolverine).

And that, was that. Stunningly, the film is coming out on May 22nd, barely over a month away. Crazy.

After a fairly crowded arena at WonderCon witnessed the world premiere of DCU’s newest animation confection, Son of Batman, we were also treated to a Q&A with some of the brilliant talent involved in the production. That means James Tucker, the DCU “super” producer, director Ethan Spaulding, heralded animator Phil Bourassa, casting director and voice actor guru Andrea Romano, actor Xander Berkeley (who plays Kirk Langstrom in the film), Firefly star Sean Maher (Nightwing), Stuart Allen (Damien) and Jason O’Mara (Batman).

Let’s dive in.

The film is rated PG-13, and it’s filled with blood, cleavage, and a sperm donor line. Tucker “can’t find the line,” he’s unable to cross with the ratings system, and wants to give the audience bang for their buck, upping the stakes for the film. Blood, cleavage and sperm are what every fan wants. Proof:

Son of Batman is based on a comic book of the same name by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, and Tucker was asked what the difficulties were in adaptation, and the choices they made. They clearly made changes, and took liberties with the story, as they “had room to adapt,” though it was difficult, because it couldn’t be 20 hours long.

It was Jason O’Mara’s second time as the new voice actor for Batman, after Justice League: War. When asked what it’s like, he couldn’t stop talking about Talia al Ghul’s cleavage (“that made this a great Friday night”) and the “silicone” pits, which became a running topic of discussion during the panel. In all seriousness, it was hard for him to find the elusive Bat-voice the first go round, but thanks to Andrea, they found it, and brought that experience onto SOB, which is an ill-advised abbreviation that I’m going to continue using.

Stuart Allen is asked what it was like to play Damien. When he first read the script, and was introduced to the character, he thought Damien was a brat. Then he went to Gamestop for the down low and insight into his character, and really got it. I still think Damien’s a brat myself. Stuart is as excitable and neurotic a kid as I’ve ever seen. He’s like a 9 year old on coke.

Berkeley, an in-demand voice and live action actor (he’s on Salem, premiering on Sunday), was asked what drew him to Kirk Langstrom. For him, it’s Batman, “of course you wanna do it. Who wouldn’t?” Good point. Especially when Andrea is involved, he’ll do it.

Sean Maher’s role as Nightwing is his first role in an animated film in his career. During the film and the oft-viewed Talia cleavage, Sean was constantly reminded of Morena Baccarin’s cleavage on Firefly, which consistently got sunburnt on set, and became a butt of jokes. This makes sense because Baccarin voices Talia.

Phil Bourassa is a God in the DC animation world, but this was his first solely Batman movie, and he’d been wanting to do one forever. Every artist has their own take on Batman. Any day drawing Batman is a good day. Amen.

With no disrespect to Sean Maher, it’s asked why Nightwing is the only one who can take down Damien in the film. Their fight is skimmed over in the film, but stay tuned for the credits to get a taste of their battle royale. They apparently couldn’t fit in the movie/couldn’t figure out how to make it cool enough (pretty much what they said). They could’ve cut out the Gorilla-Bat scene and replaced it with the Nightwing/Damien fight.

When asked by an audience member who they’d dress up as on the exhibit floor, Jason O’Mara responded with Boba Fett to many cheers. Stuart Allen offered Green Lantern and Iron Man.

Andrea Romano is thanked at least three times for an amazing childhood by fans, which is one of the better compliments I can dream up.

Then came a parade of crappy questions that you know the panel can’t answer, like will there be more Damien/Son of Batman movies, or if they have plans for Character A and Character B, yadda yadda yadda. One guy, effusive in his praise for the DC animated films, then insults them by arguing that he’s fatigued with Batman and that they are relying too heavily on Batman (fair), and pointing out that Marvel respects and utilizes all their characters (true, but unfair and beside the point). This “question” isn’t met positively.

When asked what characters they’d like to see explored in a future film, James Tucker mentions Spectre, and Bourassa talks up Kirby’s Fourth World characters.

Apparently Dick Grayson/Nightwing is the only Robin in the new DCU animated continuity (until Damien comes along), which means that there is no Tim Drake. They aren’t hating on Tim, but “normal people need to understand this too.” It didn’t come out as insulting as that sounded. Tim Drake is asked about another time, because nobody listens TO OTHER QUESTIONS.

Jason O’Mara is impressing fans. One questioner even says “Kevin who?”, a reference to the god of Bat-voices, Kevin Conroy. Hold your horses, kid. There was a lot of pressure on O’Mara to do the voice, but he tried to tune it all out, and didn’t refer to any of the other performances, hoping to create a unique and authentic voice of his own. I think he’s succeeded. Andrea points out that the voice has grown and evolved since JL: WAR, for the better.

Did Stuart feel pressure in bringing Damien to life? It is, after all, the first time he’s on the big screen (or Blu-Ray). He felt a little pressure, sure, but he’s a laid back guy. You “gotta go with the flow.” If anyone over 10 had said that, there probably would’ve been boos.

Several people harp on Tucker and company to adapt classic DC books into films, like The Killing Joke. Tucker responds that the company makes 3 movies every year, with 2 in continuity, and the third a one-off, so there’s always that possibility. TBA. If you’re playing a comic con drinking game at home, that’s a big-time drink. I think some version of the “we can’t tell you $#*!” line was used 13 times in this panel. There are some awful questions, but some worse answers. Andrea even commented on their glib responses, and apologized for them, because they can’t announce anything…until they’re announced.

Tucker apparently didn’t know that Deathstroke was being used on Arrow when they were making Son of Batman, because the myriad branches of WB work separately. Seems silly, because as the fan mentions, Slade is “everywhere right now.” Of course, since he’s a badass, that’s probably not a bad thing, and there are several different takes on the character.

After another stupid question, I stalked off, ready for dinner, my first day of WonderCon over. Tomorrow is a latter day, one with innumerable goodies in store.

Son of Batman comes out on HD stream tomorrow, April 22nd, and can be ordered here. If you want to wait for the DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack (which arrives May 6th), buy it here.

In 2010, Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon came out and charmed everyone in theaters, young and old alike. The film was adapted from Cressida Cowell’s book, and featured a sterling voice cast headlined by Jay Baruchel (This Is The End), Gerard Butler (300), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (SuperBad) and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids). Now four years later, a sequel is coming, arriving June 13th.

At WonderCon this year, star Jay Baruchel and writer-director Dean DeBlois sat down for a press conference to inform us about the next adventure in the series. What follows are the highlights from the genial conversation.

The first question concerned Valka, the mother of Hiccup, voiced by Cate Blanchett. Apparently, DeBlois wanted Valka and her genes to be a big reveal in the movie… but DreamWorks changed that with the first trailer. Dean describes Valka as a Dian Fossey like character, who lives with dragons and learns their ways.

Since the first movie, the HTTYD world has expanded, thanks to its Cartoon Network TV series (and video games), Dragons: Riders of Berk, which serves to bridge the gap in movies. It helps present a full, complete story. According to Baruchel, the cool thing about the  TV show is that they’re able to delve into the everyday life at Berk. The show enables them to put the audience in that neighborhood, on that island, and reveal the minutiae of everyday being a Viking.

In the first film, Hiccup got everything he wanted. So the filmmakers had to go on to the next problem. They didn’t want to make a sequel for the sake of making a sequel (and making a viking boat load of cash). Dean planned a trilogy, and this sequel is the middle act, immersing everyone in the disappearance of dragons and what happened, while completing Hiccup’s coming of age story. DeBlois states there is a lot of stuff to explore, to venture off into the rich world that Cowell created. For DeBlois, it’s a “fun world to live in, [and] very easy to write.” Lucky dude.

It’s pointed out how rare it is for a big star like Jay Baruchel to work on an animated television show like Dragons. But according to Baruchel, it had to be him, as he feels a certain loyalty to the character, and ownership of Hiccup. He believes that’s a part of acting, and clearly feels very strongly when he says: “I just didn’t want anyone else to play him.” Dean DeBlois responds, “Neither do we,” to which Baruchel sighed: “Thank you, that’s good news.”

Baruchel gets asked what it’s like returning to the character of Hiccup, but “selfishly,” the show has “kept me in that mind space.” He “never left” Hiccup.

How does Jay get ready for voice acting? He wakes up…showers, hell, sometimes he doesn’t even have to. That’s the great thing about voice acting: no costume or makeup. Sometimes, he even gives himself a mission tonot shower for two weeks. Maybe because of that, he “adore[s] it.” When Baruchel started acting, when he was twelve years old, now twenty years ago, one of the first gigs he had was dubbing shows from French to English in Montreal. “If you can do dubbing, you can do anything. Its as intensive as voice acting gets.” Baruchel is a “chronic daydreamer…and that’s what’s required…as there are no dragons in front of me, or anywhere else in the world, I suspect.”

Dean and Jay have now worked together for 7 years, and they clearly have a comfortable shorthand, another reason Jay has stuck with the character so closely.

According to DeBlois, Baruchel embodies the character so well, that he’s become the authority on it. After Baruchel’s input, he’ll change the dialogue, and add more life to it.

Apparently there were ten different dragon genera (which is the plural of genus, btw) in How to Train Your Dragon, a fact presented that impressed Jay immensely. Judging by the trailer there a whole lot more this time around. How many can we expect in the sequel? The animation team utilizes a modular system “to create an endless variety of dragons…thousands of new dragons.” While there are a ton of dragons in the sequel, there are about the same amount of dragons who have hero moments in the sequel.

While making HTTYD2, Jay was only in the same room with another actor ONCE. It’s a very international cast, and “one of the cool things about voice acting, [is] that doesn’t step in the way, [we] still find a way to create.” Usually they do so in isolation, and DeBlois admits, “it’s nice when we get characters together…sometimes [they] go off script, and it feels right.” When making an animated film, “the voice acting is the only spontaneous element,” while “everything else is meticulously planned.”

How does the process work? They record voice actors first, then get breakdowns of those lines, and make the requisite animation, match the dialogue with the mouths of the characters. Sometimes they receive late notes that will “necessitate going back and adjusting.”

As per usual, the sequel is bigger than the original. The “scope gets really big,” as Hiccup discovers there’s a brewing conflict, a conflict incited by “a vicious conqueror” who’s creating a dragon army. That’d be Drago Bludvist, voiced by Blood Diamond‘s Djimon Honsou. Jon Snow himself, Kit Harington, plays Eret, son of Eret, an evil dragon hunter, while Cate Blanchett’s character tries to rescue the dragons.

Again, it’s pointed out how much Baruchel adores the character, and that he will argue his case for changes made to the film. He likes to think he’s one of the people who knows Hiccup the best, and “they allow me to chime in.” They more than allow it, as Dean puts it: “Hiccup is so similar to Jay in so many ways…” and that they normally side with Jay, because they know Jay is the “greatest authority on the character.”

What’s the plan for the franchise moving forward? They’re preparing for the 3rd season of the TV show, and “hoping to create a seamless narrative.” Essentially, they want to keep exploring Cowell’s novels, further developing the world, and “go as far as we can.” Dean isn’t aware of any of the specifics of other things beyond the sequel, in terms of other mediums and expansion.

The funny joke at the end for the press conference is that Dean does a lot of temporary voicing, as a placeholder before Jay comes in and replaces him. From the sound of it, it’s not very good, in a wonderful way. Baruchel, through legitimate snorts, admits that it “makes my life wonderful…his temp work…” He loves it, and it’s the reason he gets up in the morning.

On Friday June 13th, the only reason we’ll need to get up in the morning is that How to Train Your Dragon 2 has flown into the local cineplex. I suspect I won’t be the only one.

Chris Hardwick is the moderator for Deliver Us From Evil, which makes me so erect for Comic-Con, and honestly, automatically makes this panel a must-watch. He’s the best moderator in the business.

Director Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Exorcism of Emily Rose) is brought to the stage. We quickly learn that Scott and Olivia Munn did a beer chugging challenge backstage…and Scott won. This happened 30 seconds ago. Dayum, I’m so jealous.

Then we get to see a clip, which is essentially a 5 and a half minute trailer, with material that mostly has not been shown anywhere. Scott says it’s a good representation of the movie. The film is based on the life of Ralph Sarchie, an undercover police sergeant who worked in the most dangerous square mile in America, and then became embroiled in the supernatural. The book upon which the film is based can be found here.

The clip is very Sinister and Blumhouse Productions-y. The highlight is definitely a horrifying owl stuffed animal that moves of its own accord (above). Because owls are terrifying/awesome. Afterwards, we’re introduced to the guests, and boy, this panel has some of the best guests of any all weekend. First there’s super producer Jerry Bruckheimer (okay whatever), THEN Joel McHale, Olivia Munn, Edgar Ramirez and Eric Bana. YES. All of the Yesses.

The panel immediately gets off on the right/wrong foot, when a guy yells that he loves Olivia Munn, to which she quickly responds: “I don’t know you.” Hardwick mentions that she could totally hook up with that guy. Munn says she’s down, but asks: “How big is it?” Then she asks how big Chris Hardwick’s dick is. This panel is gonna rule, because Olivia has just chugged a beer, and everyone is on comedic point.

How did they get involved with the film?

Eric Bana was introduced to the film by the script, and he loved it, and wanted to play Ralph Sarchie, no matter what the genre.

Chris Hardwick is superstitious: “If I’m in a devil possession movie, I feel like I’ll be possessed by the devil.” Did that notion scare Eric Bana? Eric was a skeptic to start, which was handy while filming. Then Scott and Sarchie gave Eric some terrifying footage, that apparently scared him for weeks, which in turn, also helped shooting the movie.

Edgar Ramirez plays a priest who’s based on two real people. Edgar was raised Catholic, and familiar with the symbolism in the movie. He watched The Exorcist as an accident when he was six years old, and had to sleep with the lights on for the next two years. Now his lights are on again since they made Deliver Us From Evil. For him, it was like facing those fears from his childhood.

Hardwick loves the idea that if the lights are on, the devil will shy away…Like, oh no, it’s not worth it, a hilarious observation. The lights won’t stop the devil, children.

Why did Olivia Munn get involved, and what’s her character’s deal? Again, she’s ready for a joke (that might not be a joke): “The only reason I signed onto the movie” was to play Eric’s wife. She’s a “believer,” (not a trace, or doubt in my mind) but that wasn’t the important part of it to her. For Olivia, it was to create a nice and inviting home base to show what Sarchie has to lose.

Chris asks the panel if there are light moments between takes, or if they’re serious on set because it’s a horror flick. Olivia quickly responds that there are fluffy moments, as “we have a lot of comedic actors in this film, but not Joel.” To which Joel agreed resolutely/hilariously. Then Eric told Olivia that he saw this illustrious evil footage, and couldn’t sleep for three weeks. That put a damper on things. Eric didn’t want Olivia to see it, so she of course had to, and couldn’t get through it. She cried while watching it. Now WE ALL WANT TO SEE IT.

But apparently you can’t find footage online (“What do you mean it’s not on YouTube?”). Munn: “The internet will let you down, but Scott won’t.”

The conversation drifts to…Joel McHale and #sixseasonsandamovie. “I play Jeff Winger in this movie,” McHale jokes. His character is “very concerned about his uniform the entire time.” Amazing. We learn that Joel has been friends with Scott for a long time, and that he took pity on me, and wrote this role with “me in mind” (“pedophile”). Apparently Joel has a large knife collection, and so does his character in the movie. Olivia asks if that’s legit. “Yeah, come over.” Joel’s character, Butler, isn’t a nice man. It’ll be exciting to see different shades of Joel McHale on screen.

For the role, Joel learned a deadly version of Filipino knife fighting, which Joel McHale likens to a “type of murder.” Chris Hardwick and Joel McHale on a panel together…is the best.

The subject of playing a real person comes up. Eric spent a lot of time with Ralph Sarchie, though he didn’t have a choice. Sarchie was there from day 1, even around for the table reads, before Eric even had developed an accent. Ralph gave Eric a note the first day, and Eric told him not to pay any attention to him that night, and Sarchie took it in stride. From there, they became friends. There were some times when Sarchie wouldn’t come, because he didn’t want to see what they were filming that day (because his acting was so bad, Bana jokes). Eric had a thousand questions to ask Sarchie, but this time around, he shut his mouth and just listened to him, and saw other cops dealt with him. It was better to observe than pepper him with questions.

Edgar is also bringing a real person to life, though he didn’t have access to them, like Eric did. Edgar is always philosophical, so he said: “You can’t imitate life,” and their job is to recreate it.

Fan question time!

Has Scott ever witnessed a real-life exorcism?
No, he’s seen a ton of footage and talked with people who have had experiences, but he’s never seen one in real life, and “I don’t particularly want to.”

Does Ralph Sarchie have a cameo in the movie?
Scott lobbied for it, but Sarchie absolutely refused. “Ralph’s a very complicated guy. There was something about it that seemed like it’d be ego driven. I think he wanted to do it” so because of that, Sarchie made sure that he didn’t. Ralph’s apparently doing really well with becoming a movie character. Scott is appreciative that he’s letting them do what they’ve done. Sarchie also helped make sure that the police were properly represented in the film, so he was on set for practical reasons. He did a great job of not getting in the way of the creative process.

Dick size is brought up again. Munn jokes that Jerry Bruckheimer won’t bring them anywhere again.

Joel is asked if he’s trying to step more into films, and dramas. Comedy brought him access to the business, but he used to play different roles, and he’s “over the moon about the opportunity and thrilled by the character.” McHale calls it the best time he’s ever had acting. Scott was one of the first friends Joel made when he moved from Seattle to Hollywood, and now their families are friends.

Creepily enough, Scott Derrickson knows a test question designed by the FBI to identify serial killers, and Scott has asked 45 different people…and Joel is the only person to answer it correctly. Eerie.

This blew my mind: Eric Bana was known in Australia for his comic chops, working as a stand up comedian and hosting his own sketch show. Eric doesn’t miss stand up (he’s too lazy nowadays), but misses sketch comedy, because that part of your brain never goes away, even if it’s been over a dozen years ago since he did it. Get this guy on SNL and Funnyordie. Scott reveals that he has a 7-8 minute improv reel of Eric and Joel driving in a car…and this NEEDS TO EXIST AND BE ONLINE RIGHT THIS MOMENT. It’ll be in the damn trending spot on FB in minutes.

Will Joel do a spoof of Deliver Us From Evil on The Soup? It’d be up to the cast, he responds, to which Olivia Munn immediately states: “I’m busy.” And that’s that, even if it was a joke.

Do they ever get stressed working together? “I am delightful,” Olivia Munn says. And we all believe her. Apparently they all get along, and sometimes that isn’t the case on a movie set, which is the least surprising nugget of information I “uncovered” this week. They managed to rise above the grueling weather and conditions, thanks to their chemistry.

Hardwick asks Bruckheimer a question, because he might fall asleep: How do you know when you have right mix? “You don’t, and I’ve been doing it for forty years.” Thanks Jerry.

How did the crazy/scary footage change their beliefs, if any?
Eric doesn’t care where it comes from, but he witnessed people going through real suffering, and that’s what scared and moved him. Olivia was raised Christian, but something in 2010 caused her not to believe anymore. After she saw the videos, this made her have questions, and she visited a Long Island medium. Now she’s a believer, after seeing this different kind of otherworldly suffering.

How much of the movie uses practical FX as opposed to CGI?
Scott tries to make it real whenever possible, because if it’s real, it’ll look better. No $#*@. It’s not a heavy CG movie, and relies more on the story and characters, which is nice, but also what every director should say. Scott says that British actor Sean Harris was the conduit for the movie, like Jennifer Carpenter in Emily Rose. I couldn’t really tell you what that means, but it sounded interesting.

How does being in a horror movie affect you? What did you take away from the film? 

Scott: His own growth as a filmmaker; the DP pushed him to learn new ways of lighting and other techniques, and took note of the unrelenting will that Jerry Bruckheimer has to make things better.

Bana: It’s a big and complicated subject, and awesome dinner party conversation.

Ramirez: Insert something soulful here about helping people.

Munn: Her Long Island medium.

McHale: To work with his best friend Scott and to see him work and be his element. Most of his scenes are with Eric, and he’s a true movie star, and “to look like him and be able to act…” makes me hate him. He also learned how awesome Jerry Bruckheimer’s hair is, because that needed to be said. Thank you Joel, and thank you for one of the most entertaining panels of WonderCon. If you can judge a movie by the back and forth between its cast…then Deliver Us From Evil will be a good one.

It’s coming July 2nd, 2014. Ralph Sarchie’s book is on Amazon, and so is pastor Don Basham’s.

Every month there’s a new YA sensation turned movie franchise, and most end up a bust, like The Mortal Instruments or Divergent (though those will likely spawn sequels anyway). Others, like The Hunger Games, prove worthy of all the attention and praise. FOX’s The Maze Runner aims to join Katniss in the upper echelon, and solely because it stars Teen Wolf‘s Dylan O’Brien, I’m optimistic.

The panel kicks off with the moderator asking the audience: “Any grievers in the building?” Cue squealing.

The Maze Runner comes from a trilogy of books by James Dashner, about a group of teenagers dropped in a remote location, arriving via elevator, with their memories wiped clean, surrounded by a massive maze. Mysteriousness abound.

Then we get the same trailer that you’ve all likely seen, which is an excuse for everyone in the audience to yell about Stiles… right before they’re about to see him.

The guests for the panel include author James Dashner, director Wes Ball, star Will Poulter (who just won an MTV Movie Award for We’re The Millers) and the aforementioned and fan-favorite Dylan O’Brien, who might’ve skipped from being the next big thing to just being a big thing.

How does it feel to have your book being made into a movie?

Dashner: It’s surreal, exciting, and “unbelievable how much they’ve matched the vision for my book.”

Were Dylan and Will fans of the book before getting the part?

O’Brien didn’t know the book until he was brought in to audition, then he found it, researched it and loved it. It “would’ve been my favorite book as a kid, straight up.” Poulter’s experience was much the same, and relished discovering its amazing group of fans.

Was their pressure to do it right?

Ball: Yes, but it’s the best kind of pressure, to please the fans and capture the spirit of book and make the best movie out of it.

Then, it became time to see an all new scene, one that wasn’t in the book, a sequence where the maze changes. The scene involves Thomas (Dylan O’Brien’s character) and Minho (Ki Hong Lee), getting caught in the maze when it’s changing. It’s freaking intense and cool, and certainly lives up to the title of the film (there’s a lot of running). It looks much better than most YA films.

“You guys must be in great shape. A lot of running.” As I observed, it is called Maze Runner, after all.

Poulter is proud to be a part of such a great young cast, with emotional relationships as the core, a rarity in films like this. Memory loss, the notion that these characters might have families somewhere, that they must’ve come from somewhere, all these questions you’d naturally wrestle with are all in the movie. According to Poulter, there’s a great exploration of character, which is unique to the genre.

Where did the idea for this concept and world come from?
Dashner was heavily influenced by Lord of the Flies, Ender’s Game, and the concept of a teenage boy being sent somewhere strange. He also wrote the book while LOST was on, which is one of his favorite shows. To top it off, mazes have always creeped him out, ever since The Shining. Put all those elements together, and you have The Maze Runner.

How do you make us care about characters with the maze as such a distraction? Put characters first. The maze is one of the monsters in the movie.

What are the similarities and differences between Stiles and Thomas?
Well, they are both “characters I play.” Ball remarks that “Thomas is better looking than Stiles,” to which Dylan asks hypothetically: “Who would you do?” Then he admitted: “I was gonna not say that, and I did anyways.” In all seriousness, “Thomas is more stoic, calmer, more introverted, quieter…More like me.” Stiles is O’Brien’s goofy side, which apparently is his off-camera side.

What were the differences between shooting Teen Wolf and working on TV than on a movie?
According to Dylan, it was actually very similar to his experience on Teen Wolf. It shoots fast, and doesn’t have the luxury of time and a lot of money, and The Maze Runner was very much the same way. It’s a smaller budgeted movie, but had to make it big. “It looks like a 100 million dollar movie, and it’s not.”

What’s it like working with Kaya Scodelario?
Kaya plays Teresa, the only girl in a sea of men. O’Brien: “You would love Kaya. She’s amazing.” Being the only girl in the movie could be intimidating, but she was apparently the perfect girl to have. According to Poulter, when she first arrived on set, the guys were all playing a dumb game that involved throwing sports equipment at each other, and she comes in, catches a ball and throws it straight back, with a cigarette in her mouth. It doesn’t get cooler than that, and both O’Brien and Poulter admit how badass she is.

Did the movie fulfill Dashner’s imagination for how it would be adapted?
Dashner: “It’s hard to talk about it…” “when they’re sitting right next to me,” Ball finishes for him. In reality, it’s hard for Dashner to reveal his thoughts without sounding insincere or cheesy, because he loves it. He’s “utterly thrilled with each casting decision…matched my vision perfectly.” He loved being on set, feeling the family vibe, and “cannot believe what good actors they were.” He thinks these actors are special, and that people will look back at this film and see it as where their careers took off. O’Brien and Poulter are cool with that assessment.

RE: Dylan O’Brien: How was it like going from comedy and romantic roles like The Internship and The First Timeto an action flick The Maze Runner?
O’Brien: It’s “great to be able to try different things.” It was far more “physically demanding…a lot more tiring.” He didn’t have to run during the audition, and O’Brien has often wondered…what if he had a weird run? At this point, most of the panel each do a version of a ridiculous run, that totally would’ve ruined the movie. Or made it a camp classic. It’s a great point though, something I wouldn’t have thought of. Thankfully it was not an issue.

In book, Teresa and Thomas communicate telepathically, do they in film?
Ball: “Sadly no.” It’s a “difficult thing to portray in film.” Apparently that connection is kind of there, if you look for it. Dashner fully endorses any changes in the movie, noting that telepathy normally looks cheesy in the movies.

It’s time to move on, but not before a selfie with the audience. As the talented quartet wander off, moderator Ralph Garman remarks: “It’s a shame that Dylan kid isn’t good looking…he could have a career.” Har har har!

The Maze Runner hits theaters September 19, 2014. Buy the book now to be ready.

The Maze Runner is the next big YA adaptation to hit theaters. On September 14th, when Wesley Ball’s film comes to the big screen, we’ll know if it’s the next Hunger Games, or the next Mortal Instruments, The Host or Beautiful Creatures.

FOX clearly has high hopes for the potential franchise, as it became one of its showcase films during WonderCon this weekend. Before their panel (coverage here), I got to be a part of a press conference with Maze Runner author James Dashner, director Wes Ball and stars Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf) and Will Poulter (We’re The Millers). What follows is an overview of the discussion between this young group of people whose lives are about to change, should this puppy go supernova/Twilight.

James Dashner, when he wrote the books, tried to make something outside of the crazed Young Adult thing.

Ball believes the YA dystopian craze has come about because he thinks kids like to be treated as an adults. But he compares The Maze Runner more to Lord of the Flies, and not post-apocalyptic. The second film, should there be one, is more like that.

Dylan O’Brien points to another reason for the post-apocalyptic YA phenomenon. “Jennifer Lawrence.” Laughs and general agreement ensued. “How could that not create a franchise?”

Dylan was asked how challenging the role of Thomas was, as opposed to his comedic role of Stiles on Teen Wolf. He admits to the difficulty, and humbly hopes he did okay. Wes Ball immediately tells us that he rose to the challenge.

O’Brien didn’t go into the film thinking he was the next Katniss or this was the next Hunger Games. That’s a lot of expectation or weight, and plus, he’s a boy. He loves the story and fell in love with James’ book. The process and what they went through was insane, considering the budget and time, or lack thereof. But they made it happen, and he’s clearly proud of their work. It’s funny to O’Brien that now he’s getting asked, “How does it feel like to be in such a big movie?” And his response is normally, “Cool, we made it look like we were in a big movie.” It’s a testament to Ball’s direction, the FX and the buzz surrounding the project.

On the subject of a Thomas vs. Katniss film: “She would kick my ass.” Everyone on the panel agreed, and so did I. Peeta vs. Thomas on the other hand…

Will Poulter recently won an MTV Movie Award for We’re The Millers. It’s news to me that people watched and enjoyed that movie. But like Dylan O’Brien, he’s taking on a much different character here, as Gally, his character, has a hard edge. Adorably, even with all the changes in his life recently, Poulter still lives in West London “with my mum.” But he’s ready to go on this journey with James and company.

Was there pressure to adapt the book into a film? Yes, of course, Ball says, but it’s “good pressure.” He was a fan of the book, and took it from that point of view. He sought to give a sense of truth to the world itself. “The only pressure was to execute the perfect movie I had in my head on the screen. We had a lot of challenges, but it was a fantastic experience…Everybody was in it 100% to make a cool movie together…[It was a ] unique bonding experience…[and that] shows up in movie.”

What was it like bringing grievers to life? Dashner believes that “their vision perfectly matched mine,” and that they took his book and made them even better. They believe they’ve made a “unique movie monster that stands out from all the rest” because its “biomechanical, nasty, scary, metallic, all these things,” and came up with a design with some of the artists that would be really fun to animate. The consensus for the Grievers? “Freaking awesome.” Apparently the monsters were brought to life by the guy who created the Life of Pi tiger.

Dashner learned to love reading when he was a young adult, and Stephen King was his YA section. When he writes, he “writes naturally what he would like at that age,” but doesn’t think about his audience. That’s why he believes the books have crossed over to so many audiences. He seeks to “write the coolest thing I can write.” Ball and his team wanted to “make a movie for the kid in everybody, not [a movie] for kids.”

The soundtrack for the film was discussed, and James Dashner was concerned (since he often writes to soundtracks) when they were making it that they’d want a typical pop soundtrack. And luckily, that’s not at all what Wes Ball had in mind (“No, we’re going full epic, orchestral score” ). He apparently ONLY listens to soundtracks, ever since he was 16, something that Dylan and company can attest to from their drive down to Anaheim for the Con. The film is equal parts John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and an eclectic mix of old school/classic film sound, as the music becomes a character and supports the movie. Ball’s very excited for soundtrack buffs to watch the movie. According to Dashner, “it’s awesome” and blew him away.

Favorite movie soundtracks were discussed, and the greats were mentioned, like Jurassic Park, Aliens, the last Superman. Will mentions the Bourne trilogy. And of course, The Maze Runner.

Another reason to check out the movie on September 19th, 2014. Catch up on the books now.

SPOILERS FOR SECRET SERVICE BELOW:

This film totally wasn’t on my radar yet, but apparently it should be: allow me to introduce you to The Secret Service, a film I swear had just been announced, not preparing for an October 24th release date.

The Secret Service is based on a comic book of the same name by Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Wanted), with art from Dave Gibbons (Watchmen) and is directed by Kick-Ass writer/director Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn couldn’t be at the panel because he’s working on the movie (weird), as they’re putting the final touches on it.

The film is about a group of covert agents founded by wealthy individuals who believe that the CIA and MI6 are hampered by bureaucracy and politics (true). This secret service operates outside of those lines, the “secret agents of the coolest order.”

While we don’t get any guests… we do get a little clip, courtesy of FOX. Some of the FX isn’t finished, and the music is temporary… but this is never before seen stuff, folks.

And… it’s totally in the vein of Guy Ritchie and Vaughn’s Layer Cake. Meaning it’s super-stylized and super British. The scene we see takes place at a British pub, between Colin Firth, or Uncle Jack, the leader of the agency. He’s meeting Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a douchey looking kid who apparently has wasted his potential (dropped out of the marines, listless in school despite off the charts IQ, etc.) and blames everybody but himself. Firth is giving him the pitch while also $#!*ting on him, until a bunch of ragamuffins come in to beat up Eggsy, because Eggsy seems like a guy people will line up to beat up. Firth asks them to leave politely…they don’t, and give Firth flack…and then he turns into an unholy combination of an older James Bond and Mary Poppins, using the bar environment and a bulletproof umbrella (that also shoots!) to kick arse, blowing Eggsy’s mind.

Then Firth finishes his Guinness, and it’s clear Eggsy will listen to him a bit more attentively now. Afterwards, we get a few flashes of the film, including seeing Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the villain in the movie, and looks like a young punk kid who dresses up to be a rapper but isn’t a rapper, which is a hilarious get up for Sam Jackson. There’s also Mark Strong, playing the evil role he always plays (or looks like it), and a Michael Caine sighting.

It’s all vaguely intriguing, but certainly seems like a story and visual style we’re all too familiar with. But the fact that it’s Colin Firth kicking ass makes one take pause. Plus, the IMDb page shows that Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Elton John, Adele and David Beckham are all rumored to be in this movie. Um, what?! Who am I kidding, I’ll be seeing this movie, despite my skepticism.