WonderCon

WonderCon 2012: Hilton Anaheim Now Offering Rooms; More Convention Guests Announced

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 5th, 2012 at 8:54 am

WonderCon usually takes place in San Francisco, but as we previously reported, renovations on the Moscone Center have temporarily moved the comic convention to the Anaheim Convention Center.  The Hilton Anaheim will serve as the “Headquarters Hotel” for the event and they’re offering pretty good rates for their rooms (it’s $129 whether your have 1 person/1 bed for 4 people/2 beds).  This is in stark contrast to Comic-Con where every hotel can charge you firstborn child and you’d still pay (they won’t charge you that, but they could if they wanted to).

More importantly, the relocation to Anaheim opens up the possibility that more studios will be in attendance.  Hit the jump for more including a press release about geek guests in attendance.  WonderCon 2012 will run from March 16 – 18th.

Registration for WonderCon 2012 Now Open

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 2nd, 2011 at 11:44 am

As 2011 winds down to a close, it’s time to start planning for the new year. As such, registration for WonderCon 2012 is now open. In case you’re unaware, the convention has moved to Anaheim this year and will be held right next to Disneyland (it took place in San Francisco in past years). I attended the convention last year for the first time and it’s definitely worth the trek if you’re interested. It’s a more intimate experience than the clusterfuck that is Comic-Con, and you’ll get a first look at a number of 2012 releases. The convention takes place from March 16-18, and you can buy either a 3-day badge for $40 in advance, or a single day badge for $20 in advance. Head on over to WonderCon’s official website to register now.

WonderCon Moves to Anaheim for 2012

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 1st, 2011 at 2:09 pm

This year I went to WonderCon for the first time and it was a good experience.  It was like Comic-Con but laid-back, easy to move around, and an all-around fun time.  It’s also a good venue for studios who want to give their big movies a boost without getting lost in the Comic-Con shuffle or if the flick comes out in between WonderCon and Comic-Con.   Unfortunately, San Francisco residents who like to attend WonderCon have to miss a year unless they want to drive down to the Con’s temporary home of Anaheim, California.  Comic-Con International has just sent out a press release announcing that due to renovations at the Moscone Center, the convention will be held March 16 – 18th at a yet-to-be-announced venue.  This change will also move ReedPop’s C2E2 to a date TBA while Wizard World will postpone its April 2012 show.

But San Francisco folks shouldn’t be too disheartened.  If you still really want to go, it’s a seven-hour drive away (not great, but not ridiculous) and WonderCon will presumably return to San Fran in 2013.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

Logan Lerman Talks THE THREE MUSKETEERS, PERCY JACKSON Sequels and PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER at WonderCon 2011

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 7th, 2011 at 11:39 am

Over the past few days I’ve posted a ton of video interviews from WonderCon.  While you may have thought they’d never end, my interview with Logan Lerman for The Three Musketeers is the last one.

For those playing catch up, The Three Musketeers is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and it stars Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Mads Mikkelson, Gabriella Wilde, Juno Temple, Orlando Bloom, and Christoph Waltz. Unlike the previous versions, Anderson’s version has been shot in 3D and it’s definitely been contemporized.  For more on the film, here’s the trailer and here’s Adam’s write up of the WonderCon panel.

During the interview, Lerman talks about attending his first convention, tells a great story about doing karaoke in Japan, talks about filming on location in Germany, describes the film’s story and his role as D’Artagnan, talks about his involvement in Perks of Being a Wallflower and touches on the story, and I ask what’s the status of a Percy Jackson sequel.  Hit the jump to watch.

Stephen Lang Talks TERRA NOVA and CONAN at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 6th, 2011 at 12:34 pm

At WonderCon, Fox unveiled a 3 minute sizzle reel from their upcoming time travel and dinosaur filled TV series Terra Nova.   While the show has been delayed until the fall, after watching the footage, I understand why.  Not only does the show take place 85 million years in the past, it also takes place a hundred years in the future.  Nothing is present day.  It’s without a doubt one of the most ambitious ideas for network television to ever be greenlit and I couldn’t be more excited.  For all our previous coverage on Terra Nova including trailers and images, click here.

Before the panel, I got to talk with Stephen Lang.  We discussed who he plays, why he wanted to get involved in the project, when do they start to film again, how did Avatar help him with this role, has he seen Conan, and reveals Terra Nova will have a 9 day shooting schedule (which is huge for a TV show).  Hit the jump to watch.

Odette Annable Talks BREAKING IN at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 6th, 2011 at 10:27 am

With Fox’s new workplace comedy Breaking In premiering tonight after American Idol, the network brought most of the cast (Christian Slater, Bret Harrison, Odette Yustman and Alphonso McAuley) and executive producers Adam Goldberg (Fanboys) and Doug Robinson (Rules of Engagement) to WonderCon.  It’s about a high-tech security firm that takes extreme – and often questionable – measures to sell its protection services.

While the show was on my radar, after learning about an upcoming episode, I’m definitely tuning in.  So what sold me?  In the next few weeks they do a Comic-Con show where Contra Security (where they work) is hired to transport Goonies 2: The Legend of Sloth so it doesn’t get pirated.  Any show that works in a sequel to The Goonies has me.

Before the panel I got to speak with Annable about the show.  We talked WonderCon, what does she geek out over, the differences between working on a movie and a TV show, the premise of Breaking In and who she plays, upcoming guest stars, working with Christian Slater and how True Romance is her favorite movie, and a lot more.

Director Kevin Munroe Talks DYLAN DOG and Secret CGI Movie at Lucasfilm

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 6th, 2011 at 9:27 am

With director Kevin Munroe’s Dylan Dog getting released April 29, stars Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington and Munroe were at WonderCon to premiere footage and also answer fan questions.  If you’re not familiar with Dylan Dog, the film blends horror and humor and it’s set in the backstreets of New Orleans.  From the synopsis, “the story revolves around Dylan Dog, the world’s only private investigator of the undead with a business card that features his slogan, “investigator of the paranormal:  no pulse, no problem.”  Along with his assistant Marcus, Dylan will go where the living dare not — facing down friend and foe alike, until justice is done.”

Before the panel, I sat down with Routh and Huntington for a very loose interview.  You can watch it here.  I also got to speak with Munroe. During our extended conversation, we talked about being at WonderCon, how he got attached to Dylan Dog and the long road to release, how his CGI background helped with production, what are his go-to karaoke songs, editing, and he revealed that he’s working on a secret movie project at Lucasfilm that’s all CGI and not related to Star Wars.  Keep in mind, ILM animated Rango. Watch what he had to say after the jump.

Director Tarsem Singh and Isabel Lucas Talk IMMORTALS and THE BROTHERS GRIMM: SNOW WHITE at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 5th, 2011 at 2:10 pm

At WonderCon this weekend, Relativity Media premiered an awesome looking teaser trailer for director Tarsem Singh’s (The Fall) Immortals.  In the film, Henry Cavill plays Theseus, a mortal chosen by Zeus (Luke Evans) to bring down the power-hungry King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke). The film also stars Isabel Lucas, Frida Pinto, Kellan Lutz, Stephen Dorff, and John Hurt.  You can read more about the WonderCon presentation here and you can also watch our video interviews with Cavill & Evans and producer Mark Canton.

While I was happy to be able to interview Cavill as he’ll be playing Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, I was just as excited to meet and talk with Tarsem Singh.  All too often people use the term visionary.  It’s like just because someone got a cool shot in their last film they’re a visionary director. But if you saw either The Cell or The Fall, you know that Tarsem is the real deal.  And after getting to see the teaser for Immortals, the world is about to discover this amazing talent.

During the extended interview, Tarsem and Lucas talked about WonderCon, filming in Montreal, Lucas describes her approach to playing Athena, how will Immortals raise the bar for moviegoers who think they’ve seen it all in terms of action, the 3D, how the film draws the line between style and narrative, and I got an update on his next project The Brothers Grimm: Snow White.  Hit the jump to watch.

Brandon Routh and Sam Huntington Talk DYLAN DOG at WonderCon 2011

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 5th, 2011 at 10:02 am

With director Kevin Munroe’s Dylan Dog getting released April 29, stars Brandon Routh and Sam Huntington were at WonderCon on Saturday to premiere footage and also answer fan questions.  If you’re not familiar with Dylan Dog, the film blends horror and humor and it’s set in the backstreets of New Orleans.  From the synopsis, “the story revolves around Dylan Dog, the world’s only private investigator of the undead with a business card that features his slogan, “investigator of the paranormal:  no pulse, no problem.”  Along with his assistant Marcus, Dylan will go where the living dare not — facing down friend and foe alike, until justice is done.”

Before the panel, I sat down with Routh and Huntington for a very loose interview.  We talked about being at WonderCon and can they walk the convention floor, what’s their go to karaoke songs, the long road for Dylan Dog, they talk about the film, who they play and what it’s about, filming in New Orleans, and the other stuff they’re working on like Being Human and Missing William.  Hit the jump to watch.

Neil Gaiman Talks DOCTOR WHO at WonderCon; Plus an Update on His Future Directing Plans

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 4th, 2011 at 4:40 pm

Before this weekend’s Doctor Who panel at WonderCon, I got to speak with Neil Gaiman.  The reason Gaiman was on the press line is that he wrote next season’s fourth episode called “The Doctor’s Wife.”  While I didn’t ask him for any specifics about the story, he did talk about how he got involved in writing the episode, what he wanted to have happen, and he said his favorite line.  In addition, Gaiman talked about how much he tweaked the script and we ended the interview talking about his future directing plans.  Hit the jump to watch:

More WonderCon Pictures: DYLAN DOG Banner, GREEN LANTERN Toys, GAME OF THRONES Costumes, More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 4th, 2011 at 3:50 pm

In addition to the cosplay pictures that I took at this weekend’s WonderCon, I also snapped a bunch of photos of the convention floor and some of the cool toys on display.  So hit the jump to check out some Ghostbusters toys, Green Lantern toys, the real costumes from HBO’s Game of Thrones, a huge banner for Doctor Who and Dylan Dog, the banner ad for how to get a personalized S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Badge, and more.

Christian Slater Talks BREAKING IN, Reveals He’s a Toy Collector, and Tells Some Great Frank Sinatra & Billy Joel Stories at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 4th, 2011 at 1:50 pm

With Fox’s new workplace comedy Breaking In premiering this Wednesday after American Idol, the network brought most of the cast (Christian Slater, Bret Harrison, Odette Yustman and Alphonso McAuley) and executive producers Adam Goldberg (Fanboys) and Doug Robinson (Rules of Engagement) to WonderCon this weekend.  The show is about a high-tech security firm that takes extreme – and often questionable – measures to sell its protection services.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of Slater’s films like Heathers, True Romance and Pump Up the Volume, and when I found out I’d get to speak with him before the panel, I’ll admit to being very excited.  Thankfully, while some people disappoint you when you meet them, Slater is a kindred spirit as he’s a toy collector and fellow geek!  I had no idea.

During the interview he reveals what he likes to collect, tells some great stories about Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel, what’s his karaoke song, and, of course, we talked about his new show Breaking In.  Hit the jump to watch.

Cosplay at WonderCon 2011! Over 50 High Resolution Images

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 4th, 2011 at 11:25 am

Every year at Comic-Con/WonderCon, a huge percentage of people dress up.  It’s actually one of the reasons the conventions are so much fun, as you can dress up like any superhero, anime character, or even a zombie Stormtrooper and get huge props from attendees.  While the percentage of people doing cosplay at WonderCon is much lower than Comic-Con in San Diego, I was still very impressed with the costumes and the attention to detail.

So if you’d like to see almost 60 high resolution images of people in costume, hit the jump.  You can check out Green Lantern, X-Men characters, a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica, Scott Pilgrim and friends, Buzz Lightyear, Baby Doll from Sucker Punch, G.I. Joe characters, a Jawa, Batman, and many more.

Trailer for Cartoon Network’s New THUNDERCATS Animated Series

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: April 4th, 2011 at 9:15 am

Some big news came out of WonderCon this past weekend, and while that Green Lantern footage took the internet by storm, we have yet another piece of video that might get you excited. It’s the new trailer for Cartoon Network’s all-new Thundercats animated series. I can’t say that this is exactly my cup of tea, but I’m sure plenty of grown up nerds will want to introduce their kids to the characters who made their childhood cartoon-watching days so great. Based upon the iconic 1980s action classic, Thundercats tells the epic tale of Lion-O and his battle against evil in the quest for the fabled Stones of Power. Check out the new trailer after the jump.

Paul Bettany Talks PRIEST 3D at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 3rd, 2011 at 5:47 pm

Arriving on May 13 is director Scott Stewart’s Priest.  Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the film stars Paul Bettany as a renegade warrior priest who goes on the hunt for his niece who’s been kidnapped by vampires. The 3D film also stars Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Karl Urban, and Lily Collins.

On Friday night at WonderCon, Screen Gems premiered a few scenes and I thought it looked like a pretty cool vampire movie.  In addition, while the film has been post converted, the 3D looked very well done and it just shows when you spend the time, post conversion works.  I heard it took them 6 months to do it.

Anyway, I got to speak with Bettany the day after watching the footage and we talked about post conversion, why he wanted to do Priest, playing against type as an action star, what’s his karaoke song, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch:

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