CAYOM Comic-Con Year 9

[ChD]

Rumor: Julianne Moore and Charlie Day's characters may not appear in Spark 3 due to timing complications. They are said to potentially have cameos, however.

 

I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling related to that.

[Ezen Baklattan]

I don't know why, but I have a strange feeling related to that.

What feeling? Don't leave me hanging?

[ChD]

What feeling? Don't leave me hanging?

 

I'd tell if I knew myself. Hence the strangeness of it.

[rukaio101]

00:01: The presentation is about to begin. Something seems to be wrong though. Stage crews are whispering about something or someone ‘missing’. The show seems to be starting anyway though.

 

00:02: Jotaro Joestarr, the Vice-President of Star Platinum Studios is stepping up to the stage. Bit of a surprise since people were expecting Joseph Joestarr to host the show instead. Jotaro is talking about how much of a mark Star Platinum Studios have made in their first year and how they hope to continue that streak.

 

00:03: In a surprising turn, Joseph Joestarr has apparently just fallen from the sky onto the stage, to rapturous applause. I’m not entirely sure where he jumped from and, judging by Jotaro’s face, this was not planned in the slightest. Joseph has taken the microphone from Jotaro and said how he decided to ‘drop in’. There are a few nervous laughs. Jotaro is visibly facepalming.

 

00:04: Joseph is talking about how they have many exciting products to show today. There is a very long pause. Joseph has obviously no idea what he’s supposed to say next. Jotaro takes the mike back and states they’re going to start the panel by talking about Overdrive. There is a lot of talk from the crowd. Overdrive’s… eccentric box office performance has been the matter of much talk throughout the last few months. However, despite its low OW, it has turned into a success story with its unbelievable legs and outstanding overseas performance. Jotaro explains that, as many who have watched the movie can tell, Overdrive was the stepping stone to a very important franchise in the works for Star Platinum Studios. And now they’re going to introduce a panel talking about that franchise. Jotaro walks off the stage as a clip starts playing. Joseph isn’t moving and is just kinda standing there looking confused. Jotaro has resorted to getting one of the stagehands to lead him off.

 

The clip is the post-credits scene of Overdrive, specifically the scene where Lun breaks into the ‘Fortuna Information Storage Room’. We see him searching through the files until he finds the one labelled Run & Gun with the picture of Jacob Beecham (Brad Pitt). We immediately cut to a dishevelled Jacob having a bag yanked off his head. This looks like new footage. Jacob is in what looks like a darkly-lit warehouse on his knees with his hands bound. There’s another man kneeling beside him, but there’s still a bag over his head. We see a figure, Zhu Shoryu (Ken Watanabe) in a black suit and tie slowly walking towards him. We see Jamie Foxx and Iko Uwais, apparently reprising their roles from Overdrive, watching along with two new characters played by Jean Reno and Julie Estelle.

 

Zhu: “Honour. Do you know what that word means to me, Mr Beecham? It means everything. Honour is what separates us from the beasts. Honour is what gives purpose to everything we do. Honour is what turns a manhunt into a glorious battle of fate.”

 

Watanabe’s character turns and picks up a small picture of Nan Shoryu (Lee Byung-hun) off a table.

 

Zhu: “So do you have any idea, Mr Beecham, how I felt when I learnt my son had been murdered, stabbed in the back by honourless thugs?”

 

Jacob: “I swear, I wasn’t responsible for Nan’s death. I-“

 

Zhu (shouting): “YOU LIE!!” (regains composure) “You are responsible, Mr Beecham. You lured my son to his death. You manipulated him against your enemies with false promises. And then you shot him in the back when your use for him ran out.”

 

Jacob: “Look. I don’t know where you heard all this, but I wasn’t the one who shot Nan. It was this guy, he called himself ‘the Brit’ who was-“

 

Zhu: “The Brit? How funny you should mention that name. Maybe we should ask him about your accusations?!”

 

He yanks the bag off the head of the other prisoner to reveal the Brit (Benedict Cumberbatch), badly beaten and bleeding from his forehead. (Quite a few shocked gasps can be heard from the audience.)

 

The Brit (pained smile): “Well… isn’t this an unexpected reunion?”

 

Run & Gun 2.

 

Coming Summer Y10

 

00:13: That applause has only intensified as Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling enter the stage. They’re apparently there to introduce and explain the new conjoined ‘Fortuna Cinematic Universe’ being undertaken by Star Platinum Studios, made up entirely of original action properties.

 

00:16: A schedule for the FCU movies has appeared on the screen. The next movie will be Run & Gun 2, released Summer Y10. Gareth Evans has taken over directing duties from Pierre Morel, much to audible surprise from the audience. Later in the year will come ‘Stratagem’, which is described as a ‘tactical military thriller.’ Apparently, the star of said movie will make an appearance later in the panel. The next film, ‘Clean Sweep’ will be released early Y11 and is apparently a heist movie. Finally, the series will come together for the team up movie ‘Fortune Calls’ in Summer Y11.

 

00:17: Apparently, they’re going to do a Q&A session for the FCU and Run & Gun 2 in particular. Gosling and Pitt has joined up with all the people we saw in the teaser, including Cumberbatch, Watanabe, Uwais, Foxx, Reno and Estelle. There’s also a woman I don’t recognise.

 

00:18: The woman has introduced herself as Jolyne Joestarr (no relation to the other Joestarrs (apparently Joestarr is a more common surname than you’d think)) and she’ll be acting as the overseer or godfather of the FCU.

 

00:22: The first question is for Jolyne, asking how the FCU came into being. Apparently, when Run & Gun was created (which she oversaw), it wasn’t intended to be part of any Cinematic Universe. However, when Overdrive was in its early concept stages, Jolyne spotted the similarity between the two (being competitions with a high risk) and came up with the idea of a Cinematic Universe based on these ‘games’. At the time, the higher-ups in Star Platinum Studios were looking for a new basis for a Cinematic Universe as apparently ‘every successful studio seems to need one nowadays.” Jolyne impressed the executives with her pitch of an all-original Cinematic Universe especially with the already successful Run & Gun to build off of. And while there was a bit of a worry when early numbers for Overdrive were coming in, that film has become even more of a success than Run & Gun.

 

00:23: Another question for Jolyne, this time asking how they intend to keep the franchise fresh if it’s just going to be the same games over and over. Jolyne says that that’s something they’ve thought about and they’ve come up with a fun solution that she can’t spoil here but will be revealed in the team-up. She calls it a ‘game-changing’ reveal.

 

00:25: Next question is for Cumberbatch. Unsurprisingly, it’s asking exactly how his character is alive. Cumberbatch claims he can’t answer that or Jolyne will shoot him (Jolyne jokingly confirms that to audience laughter) but that it’ll be ‘an interesting revelation.’ He’s asked to expand more on how the role he’ll be playing will change for the sequel. He explains it as very much a reversal of the first film where he was constantly in charge and in control, playing everyone from behind the scenes. In the second film, he’s vulnerable, in the open, and has to rely on Pitt’s character to survive and vice-versa. Which neither of them like in the slightest.

 

00:27: Next question is for Watanabe asking about his character. Watanabe explains that he’ll be playing Zhu Shoryu, a mob boss and the father of Nan, Lun and Hua (Estelle’s character). Zhu is attempting to take revenge for what he sees as the ‘dishonourable murder of his son’. And his revenge has led him to both Jacob and the Brit.

 

00:28: A follow-up question has asked how it feels to be the ‘Japanese father of a South Korean son and two Indonesian children.’ Watanabe congratulates the man on his impressive knowledge of Asian countries (to laughter), but explains that there is an in-universe explanation and that the Shoryu family isn’t all ‘friendliness and lengthy speeches about honour’.

 

00:34: Iko Uwais and Jamie Foxx are asked next about their characters, in particular how they’ve changed from Overdrive. Uwais explains that his character would rather be behind the wheel of a car than caught up in this but feels he owes it to his family. He has a complicated relationship with both his father and his sister who both disapprove of his racing career. Foxx’s character, on the other hand, is very much an outsider in the whole affair, only coming in as a favour to Lun. As such, he’s rather looked down on by the rest of the Shoryu family, which is fine because he looks down on them in return.

 

00:36: Julie Estelle is next to talk about her character. Hua Shoryu is apparently the youngest of the three siblings and also one the most temperamental. She despises the favouritism Zhu showed to Nan yet still has a great urge to prove herself to him. Estelle describes her as ‘hotheaded and temperamental but also the most dangerous person in the family.’

 

00:37: Reno explains his character as the most complex of the lot. He gets paid to kill people. There’s quite a lot of laughter at this. Pitt comments that it’s a major departure from his usual roles. Most of the panel cracks up at this.

 

00:39 Gosling is being asked whether his character from Overdrive, Troy Walker, will appear in the film. Gosling is playing the crowd saying isn’t sure whether or not to tell them. There’s a lot of chants telling him to do so. Jolyne reminds Gosling that she still apparently has a gun tucked under the table. Gosling backs down telling everyone they’ll ‘have to watch the movie and see’.

 

00:41: Gareth Evans is now being asked about his involvement in the film and whether this means Run & Gun 2 will be more martial arts focused than the first film. Evans comments that martial arts is kinda what he’s known for but that it won’t immediately turn into the Raid. A balance will be struck between the style of action in the first film and the martial arts Evans is well known for. Evans also reveals he got involved in the project when Jolyne approached him while he was working on Night of 1000 Fists and he was intrigued by her pitch and agreed to take over from previous director Pierre Morel (who quit due to scheduling conflicts). Evans comments that he and Iko have been training most of the cast in some basic martial arts for the film. Watanabe has apparently picked it up very well, much to the elder actor’s embarrassment. Cumberbatch, on the other hand, is described, to the panel’s laughter, as a ‘human windmill’ with ‘limbs flying everywhere.’

 

00:46: With that, the Q&A ends. Suddenly, the stage goes dark and something appears on screen. It appears to be the greek letter ‘sigma’. A voice is speaking through some sort of voice modulator and introduces him/herself as Sigma. (Guess I was right about the greek letter thing) Sigma explains that he is the star of the upcoming FCU movie Stratagem and that he has hacked into Star Platinum Studios to find out all the spoilers about the upcoming FCU movies. He asks whether we’d like to hear them. The answer seems to be mostly yes. Sigma is about to start telling us how the Brit survived when suddenly, the audio gets all fuzzy. The picture on the screen starts flashing and is suddenly replaced by the ‘L’ logo from Death Note. The crowd goes absolutely mental. L, via voiceover, apologises for that interruption and tells everyone that the Death Note panel will be starting after a short break.

[rukaio101]

01:03: There is a lot of applause as Zac Efron, Ezra Miller and David Fincher all take to the stage. Ezra Miller is in full L get-up (heavy bags under the eyes and all (He’s even hunching slightly))and Efron is carrying a bag of potato chips which he’s showing off to the sound of cheers from knowledgable DN fans.

 

01:06: Fincher tells everyone that he was pleasantly surprised by the success of the first film and has plans to make the sequel bigger and better. He’s also brought a clip from the film to show everyone. But first of all, he feels the need to ask Miller about the get-up he’s currently in. Miller joking claims that it’s what he normally looks like without make-up. Efron laughs particularly hard at that one before explaining to the audience that in actuality it take Miller several hours for the full make-up to be applied to make him look the part. It certainly looks impressive, even with the bright spotlight.

 

01:07: The three take a seat. Miller tries to do the traditional L crouch/sit but is having trouble with the small plastic chairs. Fincher says that they’re going to start by playing the clip now.

 

01:15: The clip seems to take place shortly after the end of the first film. The five remaining police detectives in the Kira task force are approaching the door to L’s hotel room. Detective Bailey (Gary Oldman) raises his hand to knock but, before he can, a voice from inside tells him to enter. He cautiously opens the door to reveal a small hallway leading to a deluxe furnished but mostly empty hotel room. L walks into view and the detectives gasp in surprise. He’s not how they pictured him at all. L is young, skinny, dressed in a plain white top and jeans. He’s slightly hunched over and is completely barefoot. His hair is uncombed, there are heavy, noticeable bags under his eyes and his skin is very pale. However, there is a strange dignity to him and he doesn’t look at all surprised or shy at seeing them. He asks them their names. They all show him their ID and call out their names. There’s Detective Bailey (Oldman), Detective Matthews (Christensen), Detective Milston (Charles Halford), Detective Kitan (Unknown)and Detective Asawa (Ming Na-Wen). L looks at them in quiet for a few seconds, his face betraying no emotion, before raising his finger like a gun and saying ‘Bang’. The detectives are surprised by this. L tells them that if he was Kira, they would all likely be dead by now and not to give out their names so casually. “Let’s place some kind of value on our lives.” He then motions for them to follow him to a meeting table and the clip ends to applause.

 

01:20: The spotlight comes back on to Efron, Miller and Fincher. Miller comments that that’s how he usually greets room service. Efron asks whether he tried mixing it up a bit on set, with maybe two finger guns like a cowboy or by pumping an air-shotgun. Fincher suggests doing an Overdrive with an air rocket launcher. Naturally there’s quite a lot of laughter at all this and Fincher states the panel is open to questions.

 

01:23: The first question is for Fincher asking how this sequel will differ from the first film. Fincher explains that the first film was very much an introduction to these characters and this world. And that, while there was confrontation between Kira and L, they were usually quite far away. In the sequel however, things are going to get a lot more intense and much more personal and both characters are in a lot more danger.

 

01:27: The next question is for Miller asking how he’s doing in the role as a there’s been a lot of scepticism as to whether he can pull it off. Miller says he thinks the character of L is fantastic and that he really hopes he can satisfy people’s expectations. He explains that Fincher has had him put a lot of effort and practice into his physical performance, the way he walks, the way he sits, the way he moves, etc etc to make the character’s eccentricities both clear yet strangely natural. Miller admits that it’s gotten to the point where, even at home, whenever he tries to sit down he instinctively nearly does it in the style of L. Efron jokes that he’s just spent his time learning how to eat a potato chip in the most dramatic way possible. Miller mentions that he briefly tried to imitate L’s eating habits but gave up on the first day after nearly passing out from a sugar rush.

 

01:30: Miller is then asked how he feels about the character. Miller thinks a moment and says that, if he were to describe L in a word it would be ‘driven’. Once he’s set eyes on a target, he’ll do whatever he can to complete it. Miller doesn’t think that L’s appearance is the result of him being socially awkward or anything but because the character believes it assists him in his deductive process and doesn’t care enough about other people’s opinion of him to make an effort to impress them.

 

01:40: There are a few more minor questions to Efron, Miller and Fincher but nothing worth reporting on. The Q&A comes to an end.

[rukaio101]

02:01The third panel is starting up. No-one’s appeared on the stage yet but something has begun playing on the screen. It appears to be a trailer.

 

02:10: A young woman is nervously walking down an abandoned alley at night. She hears a garbage can being knocked down behind her and swerves around to find the alley empty. As she stares nervously, we can see from a low angle shot that a dark, wolf-like creature has climbed onto the roof of the building beside her and is slowly moving to her blind spot to strike. We get a close up of its yellow eyes and it begins to growl quietly. It leaps at the woman but, suddenly, a powerful invisible force catches in midair and smashes it into a pile of garbage. The woman and the camera turn to see a figure standing at the mouth of the alley carrying a large wooden staff. It’s Harry Dresden (Robert Downey Jr). (The audience goes wild.)

 

Harry (narrating): "My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure it at your own risk."

 

From Star Platinum Studios...

 

Suddenly two more wolf like creatures burst from the shadows and leaps at Harry. He casually steps out of their way, letting them collide in midair in a tangle of wolfy limbs. While they’re trying to get out of their dogpile, Harry casually raises his hand and sends them flying with a burst of wind.

 

Harry (narrating): “As far as I know, I’m the only openly practising professional wizard in the country. You can even find me in the yellow pages, under “Wizards.” Not a magician, mind you, I don't do kids parties. No matter how many times you call. And no, I don’t care how much you need someone for little Timmy’s Birthday Party, the last I tried a job like that everything ended up on fire. Everything.”

 

The (Somehow) Oscar Winning Series Returns...

 

Several more wolves have appeared from the alley surrounding Harry and the woman. Harry motions to the woman to keep close before drawing his blasting rod and raises it at the wolves just as they begin to charge. A sea of flames bursts out from it and engulfs the alley.

 

Harry (narrating): “Me, I'm a real wizard. You know, of great patience and wisdom. Well… great wisdom at least. Sometimes. But there is one thing I’m very good at. And that’s beating the crap out of monsters.”

 

In A Brand New Case...

 

We cut to the wolf monsters all fleeing, their fur badly singed. Harry looks at the scorched alleyway admiring his handiwork before turning to the young woman.

 

Harry: “Well, ma’am. You’re lucky I was-“

 

The woman’s face has suddenly turned monstrously vampiric. She leaps at Harry as he, surprised, fumbles with his blasting rod.

 

Harry: “Oh shi-!”

 

The Dresden Files: Fool Moon

 

Cut to Harry entering his study looking like he’s been dragged through a burning bush backwards. Bob the Skull (Alan Tudyk) is lying on his desk.

 

Bob: “So…”

 

Harry: “Not. One. Word.”

 

Coming Summer Y10

 

02:13: RDJ, Alan Tudyk and Shane Black enter the stage to massive applause. RDJ is carrying a prop staff. The three take a seat at a table provided which has already has a prop skull and a dummy Oscar placed on it. RDJ tries to prop his staff against the table but it falls over. He decides to just leave it there.

 

02:18: Shane starts by talking about Fool Moon came into production. After both its tremendous box office success and its rather unexpected success at the Oscars, a sequel was quickly greenlit. The original plan was to skip Fool Moon and adapt Grave Peril first instead but, after meeting with Joseph Joestarr, the company president noticed that, due to plotlines cut from the first movie, certain key characters wouldn’t get as much development as they really should have and decided they should do the second book instead. Shane explains that, despite Mr Joestarr’s eccentric personality, he’s very passionate about making great films. That and punching condors.

 

02:22: The group is asked how they felt about their surprise win at the Y8 Oscars. Black said he was shocked, delighted and convinced they’d opened the wrong envelope. Tudyk still jokingly bemoans the fact that he lost Best Supporting Voice Actor, claiming his character had ‘Shakespearian qualities’. Because, you know, there was a skull in Hamlet.

 

02:28: Next Shane is asked how they intend to handle the films once the series’s Myth Arc really gets going and whether they intend to adapt all 15+ books that have been released (as well as several more yet to come out). Shane explains that, at the moment, Fool Moon is being used as a test run to see if the magic of the first film can be recaptured. After that, if Fool Moon succeeds, the series is going to be fast-tracked to at least 2 every 3 years. When asked whether Black will direct all of them, Shane explains that he has been signed on for multiple more films but, if he gets tired of the series, he may hand things over to another director. At the moment, mostly unknowns are being considered, some of whom are going to be assisting Black in the directing of the next few films.

 

02:35: There are a few more unimportant questions before the panel ends. We’re being told that the next panel is going to be a two-parter dedicated to Star Platinum’s animation arm. The first half is likely to be dedicated to Cybernetic 7 while the second half will cover other projects.

[rukaio101]

03:01: The first part of SPS’s animation panel has started. Like I suspected, Cybernetic 7 is the main feature here. The stage has been decorated with 7 different posters for the film, each showing off one of the C7 and their Mechs (giant robots). I’ll provide a more detailed description of each later.

 

03:05: Josuke Joestarr (no relation to Joseph, Jotaro or Jolyne (presumably)) and Giorno Giovannio have taken to the stage. For those not in the know, those two are the heads of SPS’s CG animation and traditional animation departments respectively. Giorno has thanked everyone for turning up and has a very special treat for everyone. Apparently, they’re going to play the first 10 minutes or so of Cybernetic 7 for the crowd. This is a definite surprise and has really got the crowd talking. However, Giorno has made it clear that this is a private screening exclusive to those at Comic Con and that they don’t want major story details to be leaked. Anyone who does leak any details will be dealt with swiftly. Within the realms of the law, of course. Josuke is in the background miming what will actually happen to anyone who leaks story details. I’m not entirely sure how he’s able to mime “thrown into a volcano with a bag of rabid ferrets’ so well but it’s rather impressive.

 

03:17: Okay, the screening has finished and it really was very impressive. As I mentioned, I’m not allowed to tell you any major spoiler details, but it’s an excellent mix of action and emotion. There were quite a lot of tears both in the film itself and in the audience. The animation was fantastic and it had a very interesting style. The environments are an amalgamation of olden Japanese-esque houses and modern sci-fi tech and it looks very impressive. In fact, there’s a heavy Japanese influence on the visual style of this movie, both with the houses and the designs of the Mechs involved. I suppose it’s only natural considering it’s a remake of a Japanese classic though. As for how faithful it is to the original Seven Samurai, unsurprisingly, it seems to be making its own path rather than sticking to the plot of the original, although some plot elements remain the same and there are nods here and there.

 

03:20: A Q&A panel has been set up with the stars of the film. Maisie Williams, John Hurt, Emma Thompson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Reynolds, Ron Perlman and Mark Strong. Each of them are going to introduce and talk about their characters.

 

03:23: Maisie Williams is playing who I assume is the lead (at least, if the screening is any indication), a young girl named Mara. Mara is described as the ‘heart’ of the team and the most innocent of them. Her poster is her leaning on a railing looking at her Mech, labelled the Avalon. It’s very much a traditional Gundam-esque white mech, armed with a single large sword.

 

03:27: John Hurt is playing what we assume is the other main, Kambei (obviously named after the original Seven Samurai character). Hurt describes Kambei as a young man stuck in an old man’s body (metaphorically (I assume)) and somewhat overconfident in his own wisdom and skills. The character on the poster is dressed in traditional Japanese robes (like those the Seven Samurai wore in the original movie) and he has a wooden sword tucked in his belt. His Mech, labelled the Vidar is a visibly old and battle-scarred but bulky Mech. Like the Avalon it’s also armed with a single thick sword rather like the character’s wooden one.

 

03:30: Emma Thompson is playing an elderly woman named Shiyo. Shiyo and Kambei go back a long way and she very much tries to act as a voice of reason and restraint to him. In the poster, Shiyo is calmly drinking tea at a traditional Japanese table. The wall behind her has been smashed revealing her Mech, labelled the Freyja. The Freyja, like the Vidar is pretty old and battle scarred but looks a lot lighter and thinner, armed with two knife-like blades.

 

03:33: Emily Blunt is playing a young, athletic woman named Diana. Diana is described as being serious and driven to her mission, possibly a bit too much. In her poster, she’s training with a punching bag with her Mech, the Artemis in the background. The Artemis looks like a more modern, swifter version of the Freyja with a silver colour scheme and two large, lightsaber-esque blades.

 

03:36: Ryan Reynolds is playing Flynn, a cocky pilot/mechanic and a bit of a Casanova. He and Diana have a bash-brothers-esque relationship at the beginning of the movie. He’s described as having a major secret he’s keeping from the rest. In his poster, he’s sorting through his toolbox while standing in front of his Mech, the Sunspot. The Sunspot is very similar to the Artemis in appearance, except a golden colour and with a blade and forcefield-esque shield rather than two blades.

 

03:38: Ron Perlman is playing Bern, a large, jovial but sarcastic man. Bern is described as the most self-centred of the group only working for his own gain and profit. In his poster, Bern is carrying a large sack over his shoulder. His mech, the Pompeii is the largest of the lot with several cannons and thrusters on the back.

 

03:42: Mark Strong is playing the last of the 7, a serious, dark-haired man named Ash. Strong has assured us he’s not a villain. Probably. Strong describes him as cold-hearted and somewhat broken inside. He and Kambei come to conflict quite a lot in the filmIn his poster, he’s sitting in the shadows in front of his Mech, the Fenrir. The Fenrir is the most animalistic looking of the Mechs, with a wolf-like appearance. It seems to have several claw-like appendages on its arms rather than a weapon like the others.

 

00:47: There are a few more unimportant questions before the Q&A ends. There’s now going to be a short break before the second half of the animation panel where other films will be showcased.

[rukaio101]

BTW, if you're expecting to see any of these posters/concept art, don't get your hopes up. My drawing skills aren't nearly good enough to attempt something like that.

 

04:01: The panel has started up again and Josuke and Giorno have come back on stage. Josuke’s revealed that the second half of the panel won’t involve any Q&A’s or interviews but instead will be made up of a mixture of clips, concept art and news about upcoming animated releases, both those with a clear year of release and those still in production. The panel is going to start off with a teaser for next year’s E.S.P

 

04:11: The teaser begins in front of what looks like an ordinary gas station. A young man, Jack Mitchell (Hugh Dancy), sits on a nearby bench pretending to read a newspaper. He reports into a radio on his wristwatch.

 

Jack: "No signs of trouble here. Everyone’s been safely evacuated and it’s almost at the specified time. Are you sure the prediction was accurate?”

 

We cut to inside a high-tech government facility where a young woman, Jane Beaker, is sat watching a clip of that same gas station exploding.

 

Jane: “I understand your scepticism but one of our psychics predicted an 86% chance of this gas station being blown up at precisely 2:23 today. Those aren’t odds we can easily ignore. ”

 

Jack checks his watch. It’s 2:20. Suddenly, he hears a noise from above. He looks up to see a small airplane slowly losing altitude and beginning to crash towards the gas station. Jack grits his teeth.

 

Jack: “I think I’ve found the problem... Elsie! Shiro! Paulette! The cause of the incident is a crashing airplane! Get ready to move out!"

 

We cut to the inside of a truck where three young girls are waiting. Elsie, a redhead with a tomboyish haircut, Shiro, a white-haired girl very neatly dressed and Paulette, a gril with long black hair and glasses.

 

Elsie: “You heard Mr Mitchell. Let’s go to work!”

 

Shiro: “Yeah yeah, just try not to screw things up this time Elsie.”

 

Elsie: “What are you talking about?! I never screw anything up! You're the one who screws things up!”

 

Paulette: “Will you two idiots stop arguing! They’re opening the truck door!”

 

Elsie: “Who are you calling an idiot!”

 

Jack watches the the truck door slowly and dramatically open to reveal… the three girls scuffling with each other. Jack lets out an annoyed sigh.

 

Jack: “Can you sort this out later? We’ve got a disaster to prevent.”

 

Elsie: “Don’t worry. I can take care of this myself!”

 

Elsie flies up into the air to meet the crashing plane head on. She holds it in place with her powerful telekinesis.

 

Jack: “Good job Elsie! Keep holding it in place! Paulette, take Shiro into the cockpit and see what’s wrong with the pilot!”

 

Paulette nods and suddenly teleports away with Shiro. The two appear in the cockpit of the plane where the pilot is slumped over unconscious. Shiro touches his arm and something flashes in her eyes.

 

Shiro: “He’s having some serious heart palpitations! We need to get him to a hospital and quick!”

 

Jack overhears this on the radio.

 

Jack: “We already have an ambulance prepared and on site. Teleport him down immediately.”

 

Paulette teleports Shiro and the pilot to where Jack and the ambulance crew are waiting. The paramedics load the pilot onto a stretcher. Elsie floats down.

 

Elsie: “Wait! I know what to do in this situation! Dr Sakaki taught me how to restore a man’s heartbeat to normal with my esper powers! Let me try it!”

 

Jack: “Elsie, I don’t think that’s a good id-“

 

Elsie sends Jack flying into a wall with a burst of psychic energy.

 

Elsie: “Shut up and let me try this!”

 

Elsie places her hands on the man’s chest and concentrates really hard. Slowly, the paramedic’s equipment show the man’s heartbeat returning to normal and he even begins to splutter back into consciousness.

 

Paulette: “You did it!”

 

Elsie: “Yes!”

 

Shiro: “I don’t mean to rain on the celebrations, but if you’re here… then who’s holding up the plane?”

 

There is a pause. Suddenly, the gas station explodes after the plane crashes into it. Jack dusts himself off, looks at the burning remains of the gas station. He checks his watch. It is 2:23. He lets out a sigh.

 

Jack: “Mission Control. Our attempts to prevent the predicted incident… have failed. Again.”

 

Cut to Elsie, Shiro and Paulette trying to act innocent.

 

E.S.P

 

Coming Y10

 

 

04:18: After that trailer, Josuke has come up on stage to talk about the new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon films, produced in co-operation with Numerator Studios. The plan is for a trilogy based on the ‘Explorers of Time & Darkness’ games. At the moment, the current plan is for the first film to be released Y10 and a new film to be released every 2 years. However, this plan has yet to be run by Numerator Studios and were they to object out of the possibility of crowding the market, the films may end up being spaced out a bit more. Apparently, an early cast has been decided on, but they won’t be revealed for a while.

 

04:22: Now we’re moving on to the concept art. Giorno is starting with some concept art from the (currently) final film planned for Y10, the traditionally animated ‘Giants of Asambhava’. The first bit of concept art is a very impressive landscape of a zeppelin flying towards a huge floating city at sunset. Both from the design of the city and the zeppelin, the film’s steampunk style is very clear.

 

04:29: The next bit of concept art, again from GoA, appears to be some character designs. The main character (I assume) is a young teen with untidy black hair, a worn blue longcoat and several plasters/bandages on his face/body. He looks pretty cheerful and there are lots of gizmos and strange gadgets hanging from his belt. And I believe he has some sort of grappling hook thing on his arm. The next character is a girl around the same age, shaved completely bold and with an emotionless sort of look on her face. The next few pictures include a crew of fierce (but friendly) looking pirates (with a few mechanical limbs and battle scars among them), a golden metal eagle (which I think seems to be clockwork) and what looks like a small one/two person flying machine cheerfully labelled ‘The Dragonfly’.

 

04:34: Next we’re moving onto concept art from Codex Alera, the traditionally animated adaptation of Jim Butcher’s books. The concept art here seems mostly to focus on the ‘furies’ elemental creatures from the book used in combat. We’ve got fire furies, a young woman riding on a wind fury, a dog-like earth fury, One giant wind fury about the size of a mountain. There’s a lot. There’s also a few pictures of the Marat, the antagonists in the first film, white-haired savage like beings who form links with animals. We’ve got one fierce looking Marat riding a large wolf, one bulky Marat on an elephant-like creature, one standing by what looks like a large ostrich and several on horses.

 

04:39: The next concept art is coming from the upcoming original CG animation ‘The Lords of Winter’. We’ve got four beautiful landscape sketches showing off each of the four lands involved. The Land of Winter is a snowy, mountainous range. The Land of Autumn is a large slowly browning forest. The Land of Spring is a peaceful flowery meadow and the Land of Summer seems to be some kind of beach-like place. It all looks very impressive. In addition, we’ve got some concept drawings of the inhabitants of said lands which seem to be mostly anthropomorphic representations of objects associated with that time. Winter has snowmen (some of whom look surprisingly badass I might add), elves, wolves and some kind of water spirits. Autumn has anthropomorphic leaves, hedgehogs and earth spirits. Spring has mostly flowers of different kinds, a few rabbits and wind spirits. Summer is populated with surprisingly badass looking sunflowers and fire spirits. This looks like it should be interesting to watch.

 

04:42: Next bit of concept art comes from the upcoming Redwall sequel, ‘The Legend of Redwall: Mattimeo’. The main bit of art seems to be of a large, underground city with a large chasm in it. There are also a few character concept arts including an armoured badger, a masked fox (like the film’s main villain, Slagar the Cruel), an incredibly bulked up stoat with a battleaxe and something… in a hood.

 

04:45: That seems to be it for the animation panel. Looks like there’ll be no mention of Mamoru Hosoda’s project. However, Josuke and Giorno are returning to the stage to announce two new animation projects in the work. The first is a sequel to Log Horizon (which after a controversial box office theft plot has ended up doning rather well for itself). The second is an animated adaptation of The Order of the Stick webcomic which should be interesting. It’s estimated that due to TOotS’s more simplistic animation design, it should be out a lot early than Log Horizon 2 which won’t arrive until Y12 at the earliest.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Rukaio Alter

[rukaio101]

Unfortunately, due to being accidentally knocked out by a strange masked man wrestling a pack of condors, I ended up missing SPS’s final panel on Attack on Titan. From what I hear, a trailer was played along with a Q&A with most of the main cast. And it was all very good and you should watch it. I shall try and find out more details once they remove the condor feathers from my asophagus and find some way to remove the ‘Joseph Joestarr woz here’ tattoo than somehow got marked onto my body while I was unconscious.

 

(That's right. I'm cheating you out of that last panel. Am I not diabolical? (Seriously though, I've been very busy all day packing for my trip to Japan and not only did I not have enough time before I needed to go to sleep but I really didn't have the motivation to finish the last panel. It was a choice between delaying this one panel or delaying the entire thing a day again. I may end up posting it tomorrow (for me) though.)

 

In the meantime, here's a small list of sequels Star Platinum Studios have announced are now in development to finish up their Comic Con.

[*]Fearless (a Dauntless sequel) [*]Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works [*]MST3K: Expedecade

So it looks like there'll be plenty to enjoy in the upcoming years.

[Alpha]

Nice panel Rukaio.

 

Also, I may do a little mini-panel to clear some things up about the few things coming up these coming game years, since my other panel was a bit fuzzy about information.

[Ezen Baklattan]

Next year's animation competition is going to be a complete bloodbath.

[Alpha]

Next year's animation competition is going to be a complete bloodbath.

 

I remember thinking the same about Year 9, but the only animation I've truly loved is Sir Thymes Time 2 (sorry, Rukaio).

 

Though to be honest, the field does look a lot more competitive in Year 10. But in a similar year (Year 7), the underdog took the prize...

[Empire]

Good panel Rukaio. Who is still left to do a panel besides me?

[Ezen Baklattan]

I remember thinking the same about Year 9, but the only animation I've truly loved is Sir Thymes Time 2 (sorry, Rukaio).

[Rorschach]

Good panel Rukaio. Who is still left to do a panel besides me?

I am. But I don't think I'll be able to do it.

[Empire]

I am. But I don't think I'll be able to do it.

Okay. Since it's kinda late, I will just post mine tomorrow afternoon.I will be incorporating my panel being two days late for the con into my panel. Edited August 5, 2014 by Empire

[Alpha]

Due to a rather muddled Comic-Con panel, Alpha Pictures will be holding a special mini-panel for some directors to discuss future films with all the attendees.

[Blankments]

Next year's animation competition is going to be a complete bloodbath.

I have nothing

 

Great panel Rukaio!

[Ezen Baklattan]

nvm

Edited August 5, 2014 by Spaghetti

[Alpha]

 

Oh yeah, and Me and My Shadow.