Both panels took place in Ballroom 20, the largest room at the Convention Center other than Hall H. I arrived early for my first panel, so I ended up catching the tail-end of the Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay DVD release program with stars John Cho and Kal Penn and directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Nothing much was said of consequence--when is it during a stoner-comedy panel?--but the trio did formally announce that a third film in the franchise would be made. Oh how I can't wait until I have the privilege of enduring such drivel...
Next up was the panel for the much-discussed "reboot" of the Friday the 13th franchise that will be released next year. Producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form and stars Jared Padalecki and Amanda Righetti (and a few others whose names I don't recall) were on hand to unveil the teaser-poster and theatrical trailer. These didn't look like anything special, but they did show more promise than those of the standard teenage slasher movie usually do. Perhaps Marcus Nispel, the director who brilliantly revived the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, will be able to breathe new life into what was never a very good franchise in the first place...
My last panel for this year's Con was that hosted by Rogue Pictures. The first film featured was 25/8 with a sole panelist, writer/director Wes Craven. The title refers to the human's need to stay one step ahead of evil (which operates 24/7). Other than that, the panel really didn't flesh out what the movie was about outside of the fact that it is related to a serial-killer terrorizing children in a small-town. Craven seems to be confident in the material, which is reason enough to be excited for the film.
Finishing the panel was a look at David S. Goyer's The Unborn. Joining Goyer were stars Odette Yustman, Meagan Good, and Cam Gigandet. My eyes were focused on the startling looks of the two actresses the entire time, so I didn't really come to understand exactly what this horror-effort is about. All I know is that Goyer is a very talented guy and his cast--who spoke very highly of him, by the way--is wholly appealing. And the visuals in the trailer they brought along with them were quite striking. It should be a fun time.After the panel finished, I followed the advice offered by the official Comic Con schedule and took one last lap around the Exhibit Hall. (Errr... slow walk-through, that is; the place has become such a zoo, it's nearly impossible to enjoy.) On the whole, 2008's convention offered a tremendous time. I'll definitely be back for more next year.
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