Brian Guido for Wired
Standing atop a building emblazoned with Superman’s iconic “S,” Bernard Chang is running down the history Batman’s cowl. The Batman Beyond artist started by using his hands to sculpt a model of Adam West’s mask from the 1960s, but now he’s moved on to the late ’80s.
“What about Michael Keaton?” Chang says, as he starts reworking his model into the mask from the Tim Burton era. But he’s not using clay, or any other physical material. He’s doing it in VR. Standing on a small stage at Comic-Con International, wearing a Rift headset, Chang is using Oculus’ sculpture tool Medium—along with the company’s forthcoming Touch controllers—to create his sculpture in a virtual 3-D space.
He’s made a couple of nice-looking cowls in under 20 minutes, thanks to Medium’s various capabilities. He can, for example, use the “symmetry tool,” which mirrors everything he does to one side of Batman’s face onto the other, and zoom in and out on his creation. He also, as Medium’s project director Brian Sharp notes during the presentation, is able to some things “better in virtual reality than you can do with clay—like undo and redo.”
Medium wasn’t made specifically for comics artists like Chang—illustrators will probably have more fun with Oculus’ forthcoming Quill—but rather for anyone who just wants to make art in VR. The tools are simple and intuitive; just about anyone can learn it in under an hour.
“When I draw comics, I’m very traditional, it’s still pen and pencil on paper, but then I scan it in and then with a Wacom tablet I do some more drawing and finishes,” Chang says. “It’s very much the same [as working in Medium]. I could really see it being something that could be a lot of fun to play and toy with.”
And giving people something to toy with is the point. Sharp and his team at Oculus have been working on Medium for nearly two years—since not long after the company was acquired by Facebook—and while there could be commercial uses for Medium at some point, the hope is simply that it’s enjoyable enough that people will make stuff with it when the Touch controllers come out later this year.
“It’s important to us that professional artists like it, and that seems already to be true,” Sharp says. “But we also have to be able to give anyone a five-to-seven-minute demo and be able to use it. We’re trying to get rid of all the not-fun struggle to figure the software out so that people can worry about ‘oh, I just drew a little dog, now I want to draw a better dog next time.’ That’s what’s exciting.”
Yesterday’s panel at Comic-Con International for HBO’s Game of Thrones definitely had a lot of laughs for a conversation that spent so much time mourning characters that were killed off in Season 6. But nothing got as many LoLs as this gag reel which played as the cast and crew walked off the stage. Please do enjoy it now—it’s worth it just to watch Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) crack herself up.
Brian Guido for WIRED
There’s no official panel for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story at Comic-Con International this year, but attendees at one of the convention’s booth displays can get a sneak peek of a brand-new character from the film. He’s a mercenary fighter and a pilot, a guy who’s sworn to help take on the Empire.
His name? Umm…uh…before we tell you, we just want to check: Are you sure you want to know? Like, isn’t this technically a spoiler?
OK, fine. His name is … Two Tubes.
We know, we know: Maybe not the coolest-sounding name to come out of the galaxy that gave us such unforgettable monikers as Lobot and Greedo and Bib Fortuna. But as you can tell from the picture above, Two Tubes does indeed come equipped with two tubes, along with a low-fi-looking rifle, a sweet leather duster, and two ear-things that look a bit like horseshoe crab tails. A description for the character, who appeared alongside several other Rogue One costumes, reveals his back-story:
Edrio Two Tubes is a mercenary pilot who flies alongside his eggmate, Benthic. They share the nickname derived from the breathing apparatus that allows Tognath physiology to process oxygen atmospheres. Edrio’s native world of Yar Tonga was conquered and occupied by the Empire, forcing him to flee as a refugee. With a desire to strike back at the Empire, Edrio and Benthic have allied with Saw Gerrera.
In Rogue One, resistance leader Saw Gerrera is played by Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker, meaning Two Tubes will likely be seeing quite a bit of on-screen action. As for who’s playing the latest antihero in the Star Wars universe, that’s still not clear—but we’re sure he or she prepared for the role by listening to two Tubes songs. Talk to ya later!
The last time we heard about some mysterious goings-ons in the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland, it was courtesy of 2000’s Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, the sequel to one of the biggest indie movies ever made, and a film that finally revealed, with frightening force, the true power of the Blair Witch: In just 90 minutes or so, she can make you forget you ever once saw a movie called Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. It remains one of the most ill-advised, clumsily executed sequels of the 21st century, and seemed to have killed the franchise forever…
…until tonight, when Lionsgate announced the forthcoming horror movie The Woods is actually Blair Witch—a brand-new, heretofore top-secret follow-up to the 1999 found-footage classic. Created by Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett, whose last film was the excellent sci-fi actioner The Guest, the new Blair Witch —which appears to be found-footage-free—stars James Allen McCune (Showtime’s Shameless) as the brother of Heather, one of the doomed campers from the original film. He and some friends return to the woods in an attempt to find her (always just a dumb, dumb idea) and are soon being haunted by mysterious forces. Will they make it out of the woods? We’ll find out when Blair Witch opens September 16th. Until then, we’ll be standing in the corner by ourselves, creeping everyone out.
Pause at: 1:04, when someone pulls something spiky and scary out of their leg.
We’d heard the casting news, we’d seen the images, but we had yet to get a real sense of what Bryan Fuller was cooking up with American Gods. Thankfully, that changed today at the panel for the Starz show, which adapts Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel into a (mostly) living, (mostly) breathing thing. British actor Ricky Whittle plays Shadow, a gentle giant who walks out of prison and into the middle of a brewing war between deities old and new. We also get a good look at Ian McShane as Shadow’s unasked-for patron Mr. Wednesday, and Emily Browning as his dead wife Laura—and fans of the Gaiman novel will recognize a number of minor characters, from old-schoolers Mad Sweeney and Bilquis to new jacks like Technical Boy. No sign of Orlando Jones as Mr. Nancy, though that’ll likely be remedied before too long—the show doesn’t premiere until 2017.
Pause at: 1:15 for a glimpse of Peter Stormare as the sledgehammer-wielding Czernobog.
Helen Sloan/HBO
Like so many before it, Season 6 of Game of Thrones killed off a lot of people, introduced a few more, and left a lot of questions unanswered. And, like many before it, the Comic-Con International panel for Game of Thrones managed to dodge most of those questions with aplomb. (In other words, don’t expect any answers about the inevitable Daenerys/Cersei face-off.) But that doesn’t mean nothing valuable came out of the HBO show’s big Hall H panel. Here’s what we learned. (Spoilers ahead, obviously.)
Season 7 Got Pushed Because Winter Came
As you might have heard, the next season of Game of Thrones won’t arrive until summer 2017. According to showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, that’s due to the arrival of winter. Like, literally. They can’t start filming until the leaves are off trees and everything looks a little more winter-y. ““We’re actually just waiting to shoot until later in the year,” Benioff said.
Davos Was as Bothered By the Death of Shireen as You Were
It wouldn’t be a Game of Thrones panel if there wasn’t a lot of talk about death. And one that came up early on was the burning death of young Shireen Baratheon (Kerry Ingram). It was, surprisingly, a passing that even Davos himself, Liam Cunningham, didn’t know about. “[If you were there] when I got the script you would’ve heard the sound of my jaw clanging on the ground when I read that,” he said.
John Bradley Is Hoping For an Ironic Death for Samwell Tarly
Speaking of dying, John Bradley, who plays Samwell Tarly, has a funny scenario he’s imagined for how his character could die. The short version? Sam, how in possession of a massive library, climbs up to a high shelf to pull down a volume, doesn’t realize his own weight, and falls and gets crushed. “It wasn’t battle that killed him; it was books that killed him,” Bradley said.
Daenerys and Missandei Are a ‘Girl-Power Couple’
Yes, in addition to thinking Dany should have the Iron Throne, Nathalie Emmanuel, who plays Missandei, believes that her character should stick by Daenerys until the end. “I hope that Missandei continues to support Daenerys in … this sort of girl-power couple,” she said.
Sansa Didn’t Tell Jon That She’d Called in the Knights of the Vale Because She Wanted Her Due
One of the biggest surprises in the Battle of the Bastards was Sansa Stark showing up with the Knights of the Vale to save Jon Snow’s ass. A lot of people have wondered why she didn’t tell Jon ahead of time that she’d called them in. According to Sophie Turner, Sansa did that because “she wanted all the credit … and it makes for really good television.” It was also a razor-smart tactical move. Does Turner think her character should actually rule in Jon’s place? “I’m not sure she believes Jon is capable of running Winterfell in the North,” she said. “He doesn’t have the intellect, the knowledge, the experience that she has. I concur.”
Sansa and Jon Won’t Hook Up—Probably.
As we discovered last season from Bran Stark’s vision, Jon Snow’s parentage might not be what he thinks it is—meaning he’s also not Sansa’s brother. So, could they, you know…? (Yes, someone in the audience actually asked this.) According to Turner, the answer is no. “Dan and David,” she said to her show runners, “if you make anything happen, I will kill you.”
At Comic-Con, Friday is all about animation—at least in the Indigo Ballroom across the street from the San Diego Convention Center. And the day kicked off with a packed room of Steven Universe fans thrilled to witness the Cartoon Network show’s return to Comic Con. On the heels of “Mr. Greg,” the show’s first fully musical episode which aired on Tuesday, the Steven Universe panel skipped the typical long-table setup for its panel. Instead, the front of the ballroom was full of music stands and instruments, and the panel turned into a live concert of songs from “Mr. Greg” and various fan-favorite past episodes.
Former supervising director Ian Jones-Quartey served as MC, introducing composers Aivi Tran and Steven “Surasshu” Velema on synths, storyboard artist Jeff Liu on guitar, writer Ben Levin on bass, creator Rebecca Sugar on guitar and vocals, and the voices of Steven (Zach Callision), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), Pearl (Deedee Magno), and Garnet (Estelle)—who together made a formidable band. Liu’s guitar lines sound a bit like The Pillows, who soundtracked beloved anime FLCL, and the compositions by Tran and Velema have delightfully eerie electronic touches like the music on Gravity Falls.
It’s hard to imagine that attendees expected a morning concert at all, let alone one with such verve. Magno crushed a heart-wrenching ballad about her character competing against Steven’s father Greg in a love triangle with Steven’s mother (“It’s Over”). Estelle flubbed some fun lyrics in a defiant song (“Stronger Than You”) while getting both sides of the room to sing along with her. Dietz’s solo on “Tower Of Mistakes” showed off the elegant simplicity of most lyrics in a Steve Universe episode. And the entire cast joined in to sing the show’s rousing theme song.
It’s hot in San Diego this week, and audiences can be lethargic in the morning, but the cast and crew of Steven Universe managed to capture exactly what makes the show so endearing—clever and catchy songs that allow Sugar’s characters to emote without leaching the fun out of the proceedings. It’s also worth noting that the show is one of the few programs aimed at kids and adults that endeavors to represent queer identity onscreen—an issue Sugar went into in detail during the Q&A portion of the panel.
The panel wasn’t entirely focused on the past. Sugar has a children’s book version of “The Answer”—the story of how Garnet, leader of the Crystal Gems, came to live on Earth—out in September. And Jones-Quartey assured the audience that there are more StevenBombs—the week-long marathons where Cartoon Network aires new episodes every night in a week—coming in the fall. So there’s a lot to look forward to with the ever-expanding Universe of Steven and the Crystal Gems.
Disney
Last summer, Pixar’s Inside Out hit theaters paired with the introductory short film Lava, a story song about a lonely (somehow male) island that over millions of years finally finds a (somehow female) island to love. Unlike most Pixar shorts, which are received with praise ranging from general warmth to overwhelming obsession, Lava was a bit of a clunker—but Disney’s Moana, which opens this Thanksgiving, looks like it’ll redeem the studio’s track record for stories set in the Pacific islands. (Shout out to Lilo & Stitch!)
The film’s panel on Thursday afternoon wasn’t full of big-name stars, but directors John Musker and Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid) and co-writer Jared Bush—who already has a huge hit this year as co-director and co-writer of Zootopia—gave a fuller look at the mythic story, giving details about the production process and showing a few tantalizing new clips to go along with the first teaser released in June.
Moana takes place 2,000 years ago, during a millennium-long gap when various Polynesian civilizations had ceased large-scale naval exploration. Moana—daughter of a chief who limits how far his islanders can venture into the ocean—undertakes an epic journey to find Maui, take a mythically-powerful stone to a secret island, and save the world.
The directors focused on trickster demigod Maui because while we associate him with a Hawaiian island, he’s actually a pan-Pacific figure, popping up in various mythologies. In one of the scenes shown during the panel, when Moana first meets Maui, he thinks the mortal girl is an adoring fan and assumes she wants an autograph. He’s a gregarious, imposing character—perfect for the charm-heavy Dwayne Johnson.
Some of the best animation moments involve Maui interacting with his tattoos, which commemorate his exploits and come to life as two-dimensional features mapped onto the three-dimensional character. As the directors put it, the tattoos—animated by the legendary Eric Goldberg—are so prominent, and Maui is such an egomaniac, “he could literally give you his backstory.”
The music team is a collaborative effort between composer Mark Mancina, world music legend Opetaia Foa’i, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Hamilton creator and star got the most rapturous reception of the hour—and the panel members reminded the audience that this will be a musical, so Miranda’s songwriting style should be on full display. (Clements and Musker took care to note that while on the research trip Miranda won an impromptu dance contest during a concert put on by locals.)
Modus operandi for a Disney or Pixar film dictates that the creative leadership goes on a research trip to help inform the story and production style—which for Moana meant an arduous, unenviable two-week slog to several paradisiacal Pacific islands. What this particular trip seems to have crystalized is that Moana will not come from a place of western interest in Polynesian culture, but heavy research into the history of various island cultures. The panel began with an epigraph from someone the directors met on that trip: “For years, we’ve been swallowed by your culture. For once, can you be swallowed by ours?” Nowhere is that sentiment better illustrated than through Moana’s special, fantastical relationship with the ocean. In the most heartwarming clip shown during the panel, a young Moana, who knows nothing of the ocean’s dangers, plays by the water, which turns into a character and draws her away from shore with seashells before playfully depositing her back on the beach carried on some driftwood. It’s a cute moment that instantly connected with the audience, and it makes Thanksgiving seem like a long time to wait before we get to enjoy the full movie.
Helen Sloan/HBO
During today’s panel for HBO’s Game of Thrones at Comic-Con International, moderator Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) had a very important question for the cast: When all is said and done, who should get the the Iron Throne? Here’s what they said. (Bear in mind that before they walked out showrunner David Benioff noted “I just want to point out that Sophie Turner made us all do shots of vodka before we came out here.”)
“I have an image of a White Walker sitting on the Iron Throne with his leg over the arm, smoking a Cuban cigar. But what do I know?” — Liam Cunningham (Davos Sea)
“Out of pure blind loyalty, I’d say Jon.” — John Bradley (Samwell Tarly)
“I have a similar loyalty thing and I have to say Daenerys.” — Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei)
“I know, but I can’t say.” — Conleth Hill (Lord Varys)
“I think I want a Littlefinger on the Throne. I just think it’d be fun, it’d be quirky.” — Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark)
“I think they should melt the thing down and have a democracy.” — Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton)
“Probably Arya.” — Faye Marsay (The Waif)
“[I’d want] a four-pronged Stark rule.” — Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark)
“I think Brienne would make a really good queen.” — Kristian Nairn (Hodor)
Chad Batka/Getty Images
During a post-screening Q&A at Comic-Con International last night, Snowden director and co-writer Oliver Stone—a man who’s worked with such legendary Oscar-winning actors as Anthony Hopkins, Michael Douglas, and Al Pacino—talked about directing one of the most verbose and drama-prone performers in the world: Donald Trump.
The 69-year-old filmmaker noted that he filmed a cameo featuring Trump for the 2010 film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and it sounds like it was kind of a yuge ordeal. “I swear to God this is true—and I love the man, in a weird way—but after every take, he jumped up and said, ‘Wasn’t that great?’” Stone recalled. “I said, “Honestly? No!’ [His] confidence is unbelievable—that’s what’s allowing him to run. I’d say, ‘Donald, I think it’s great, but I think we can just do a little better here, or do this.’ And we tried like nine takes.”
Though Trump’s storied acting career includes stints in such films as Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Zoolander—not to mention a cameo as “Guy Awkwardly Looking at Buildings” in the 1989 Bobby Brown video “On Our Own”—his Money Never Sleeps turn was ultimately cut from the final film. Sad!
Jonathan Wenk/Summit Entertainment
When it came out in 2013, Warm Bodies was a sweet, funny, lighthearted zombie movie being released amidst a glut of much darker undead fare. As a result, it kind of got lost in the horde. But it’s always had its devoted fans. (Read: this writer.) And now, according to star Teresa Palmer, they might be getting to sink their teeth into some more Warm Bodies.
“I’ve been hearing rumors that there will be a sequel. I’ve been hearing this rumor for about 18 months to a year and it hasn’t happened yet, so I’m cautiously optimistic—but we shall see,” Palmer, who played love interest Julie in the original film, said while visiting the WIRED Cafe at Comic-Con International to promote her new movie Lights Out.
Isaac Marion, who wrote the book that writer-director Jonathan Levine adapted for his film, has been working on a sequel—titled The Burning World—which is tentatively set to be released early next year. Could that be the basis for the follow-up? Palmer would like that. “I think they’re working on the script but who knows?” she says. “I would love it.”
John P. Fleenor/HBO
When you give the cast of Silicon Valley microphones, they’re going to use them to make you laugh. These are comedy veterans, after all, so whether they’re on stage at a comedy club or on a panel at Comic-Con International, they’re going to riff. And last night, during the panel for their HBO show, riffing was pretty much all they did—deep thoughts about their craft be damned.
Luckily, they’re very good at it. And for nearly an hour last night, Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, and Zach Woods (TJ Miller and Martin Starr were off filming movies) turned on those talents and transformed their panel into one extended improv sketch—repeatedly circling back to jokes from earlier in the conversation and fervently avoiding analytical conversations about the show.
That’s probably for the best. Co-executive producer Alec Berg noted during the panel that they had just opened the writers’ room for Season 4 and don’t have a clear idea where the show is heading next, so it only made sense that instead of teasing future developments or offering a bunch of new material, the Pied Piper boys would just go off the rails for LoLs. (Highlight: Making the American Sign Language interpreter for the panel repeatedly translate “butt chugging.”)
Woods pointed out early—after Middleditch continued to reference, you know, that one horse scene in extreme detail—that the name placards for each panelist come with a content advisory that audiences may have people under the age of 18. But this panel blew right past that almost immediately. And it was that much better for it. Coming to a panel for a show that just wrapped its most recent season and isn’t yet in production on the next one puts the cast and creators in a dicey position. One of the best ways to leave the audience satisfied is to generate enough humor to make everyone understand just how talented the performers are outside of the characters they’re asked to play on the show. Performing an hour-long improv game that could’ve been released as a podcast for anyone who missed it accomplishes that without needing to reveal too much.
Originally from:
Oculus’ Newest Tool Is For Comic Artists, Too