SDCC Day 3: WB’s sweeping Epics provide plenty of shivers and.. snuffles.

Yes that I did.

Though we’re pretty sure the majority of you heard about the superfan driven to tears by the latest Superman: Man of Steel trailer last Saturday at Comic Con, it’d be a sin not to admit this reverend did the same.

The heart-clenching teaser shed a sense of human fear for the unknown, as the Big Blue dabbles between compelled heroism and somber misunderstanding. And cue the Hans Zimmer piece during the clips to plaster my icy hide with goosebumps and further dampen my elated eyelids. Steel just looks that freaking epic. For those who saw Immortals (or the Count of Monte Cristo, I guess), it’s not hard to see Henry Cavill’s prospect as a magnificent Last Son of Krypton.

But, now, just observing the man’s calm, super-composed presence in person should give us no doubt.

“I get to wear [the S] on my chest. I hope everything I do will please you guys, because this opportunity is 100% for you.”

Nothing too harsh against Superman: Returns – especially, towards the more-than-capable Christopher Reeve-resembling Brandon Routh — but Zach Snyder‘s film actually has a chance to rival the grandeur of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.

The answer to the panel moderator’s first question of the evening should erase many of the fears caused by the last one: “What would you do if you were Superman?”

“Beat the shit out of people,” of course.

Cavill further expressed why taking on the role of Smallville was a no-brainer, because “every nerd here dreams of becoming Superman. So while it’s still tough to process [that I’m lucky enough to play him], I hope to bring it home where it belongs.”

While those are big words coming from a (now) big man, I couldn’t help but feel a tad shocked that this particular Hall H crowd wasn’t nearly as animated as expected. Was it skepticism from the last Superman film or the mere dread of the world’s longest MTV rock video a.k.a. Sucker Punch?

Ahh, yeah, but probably just the fact these crazies were camping out for 16-hours.

Either way, you’ve got to love an actor inspired by Dan Jurgen’s The Death and Return of Superman saga, and the core elements of Mark Millar’s elseworlds tale, Red Son. Though, further investigation into the trailer spotlighted quick clips of a young Clark saving children from a horrifying bus accident, armed-guards on the alien pursuit, and sheer wisdom of the biological cosmic, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and humble stepdaddy, Kent (Kevin Costner), thus appearing as if David Goyer’s script leaned closer to Mark Waid’s heavily-underrated Birthright.

Since that remains this writer’s all-time favorite Superman story — awesome!

And as menacingly promising as Man of Steel appears, questions about a possible Justice League film just had to cap off our panel. “After this crown jewel, anything’s possible,” Snyder pondered.

Maybe stealing a little bit of Dark Knight’s shadowy spotlight is now, too.

 

More from Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures‘ Best Damn Panel in San Diego:

• Speaking of epic, does it get any bigger than Pacific Rim – a film showcasing an apocalyptic war between a legion of sea monsters, the Kaiju, and, Jaegers, colossal robots piloted by human soldiers? Well, maybe. Shortly after the highly-entertaining panel was over, Legendary pulled no stops in (getting me another free t-shirt at their booth, yay! and…) showcasing a concept trailer of Japan’s magnum opus of monsters, Godzilla. “Never worked this hard, this long and this emotionally invested in something that has lasted a few seconds.. since the time I lost my virginity,” clamored its director Gareth Edwards. If God-zilla Hates Geeks, you’ll love Edwards’ Monsters. Find it, prudes.

• Although the obvious comparisons between Pacific Rim and Godzilla will eventually roll out, Guillermo del Toro was quick to ensure that Rim will be influence-absent (unless you want to bring up the manga obscurity of “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” heh), as his production team focused on a far different sense of drama and scale. “We wanted to create a world that already exists. To recreate that emotional sensation of being there. I didn’t want to be post modern or referential or [merely] genre.” The director also wanted the Jaegers to avoid moving like humans (as seen in recent robot films), and prove practicality, as if controlled by gears. “We avoided being either crazy or lazy. We have plenty of close-contact moves like rocket punches. I compare it to Kung Fu movies where 18 guys dance around posing and get their ass kicked. We don’t want that. [I promise] this is going to be obscene robot porn.” I’m sure some of our congregants have towels wrapped around their waists just thinking about it.

• Panel host Chris Hardwick was back at it again, this time jabbing at the saucy-mouthed director. “I want to make love to your accent. You make the F-bomb so romantic.” Ron Pearlman, who played Hellboy for del Toro on two occasions, had no problem snarling in. “It’s a miracle I’m still invited here. [del Toro’s] standards must be plummeting with how he continues to bring me to Hall H.” Pearlman’s “Sons of Anarchy” pal Charlie Hunnam was also on-board (which sorta gave me the OK to skip this year’s “SOA” panel – jusayin’), explaining how he signed on without seeing a script. “[del Toro] was a slave driver. It was hard work but he worked twice even twice as hard.” Hunnam also explained the operating procedure of the Jaegers, which required two pilots, to which Hardwick gagged, “so, if you lose the left brain, the robot starts doing pottery.”

• Above all, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey portion was the most impressive of the day, and perhaps – alongside Iron Man 3 – the panel remotely responsible for the flock of fans camping out the night before. After witnessing nearly 13-minutes of goodies from director Peter Jackson (at 24 frames-per-second over the latest and widely criticized 48 fps, mind you), the crowd could barely contain themselves – especially with the arrival of surprise guest, Frodo himself, Elijah Wood. Maybe it was the lengthy amount of footage the lucky crowd received, or the overstaffing of guests at the panel, but Wood didn’t say much beyond the fact Hobbit‘s initial impressions had blown him away. I take it this crowd was thrilled, regardless.

• When asked about the process of choosing which scenes make it the theatrical or extended versions of his films, Jackson admitted they wrote the scripts as they shot, and as the story develops organically. And, obviously, Jackson yarned, “we’re not good at making short films, I could imagine.” The director was also questioned about a possible adaptation of that other J.R.R. Tolkien novel, The Silmarillion, Jackson explained the franchise was owned by the Tolkien estate – who doesn’t like his movies – and, besides, the director noted he didn’t have “100 more years to live” to shoot the project, anywho.

• The new Bilbo Baggins, Martin Freeman, compared the feeling of Hobbit feet to “a fledgling duck finding his flippers.”

• Andy Serkis, the highly popular motion-caption actor and voice of Gollum (and Caesar of Rise of the Planet of the Apes) thought he was only supposed to come down to New Zealand for a couple of weeks before being called upon as Jackson’s Second Unit Director: “The process of assuming the director’s was quite the film education, and who better than from the greatest mentor possible. For this [opportunity] I’m eternally grateful. To be entrusted [by Jackson] in that position is a dream to behold.” Serkis then lit up the crowd with a series of Gollum impressions well worth anytime spent sleeping next to shower-repressed strangers on the downtown San Diego sidewalks.