SDCC 2013: X-Men and Planet of the Apes

Sorry, kids, no X-Force news or Sentinels. Just a lot of celebrity guests…

Geoff Boucher moderated a much-anticipated Fox panel, beginning with a mysterious announcement about cooperation with Crowdzilla, and how you’ll be able to find yourself in a picture you can tag yourself in to prove you were here at Facebook.com/xmenmovies

Director Matt Reeves – in an odd-fitting fedora – came out to talk Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

” I wasn’t an ape physically, but I was an ape emotionally” when he saw Rise of the POTA. Reminded him of being a kid and being disappointed the ape masks he bought couldn’t move their mouths and make him feel like a real ape.

Panelists: Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis (loudest cheers I’ve heard so far). Serkis’ posture is ape-like; looks like he’s still a little in character body-wise.

Sequel takes place ten years later. Caesar has a wife, baby, teenage (in ape years?) son. And then humans show up. Many apeas are mo-capped with parkour experts and Cirque du Soleil.

Reeves is talking like this is still in continuity with the old films. I’m not sure how that works, exactly, with Caesar being so different, but okay. Apes of Future Past, maybe?

It takes 10-12 weeks to create one ape shot.

A short but sweet teaser was shown in 3D, which shows humans underground, firing off guns at night, total Terminator future vibe. Then Jason Clarke in the woods – “I need to speak to Caesar!”

Cut to closeup on Caesar’s face. It has a white facepaint skull design painted on it with a red stripe on top. Pull back to reveal many other apes, also skull painted. They jump down towards camera, and we cut to the title on black.

I’ll skip describing the footage from The Wolverine, since we’re so close to seeing the whole film that there’s no sense in giving away even more scenes than are out there. But I will say this – even in the brief montage we saw, I don’t know how this can possibly be PG-13. Hugh Jackman came out and promised we will finally see the berserker rage. He read the Clairmont-Miller arc on the set of the first X-Men film, and wanted to do it then – 13 years later he finally got it made.

The movie begins when Logan has lost everyone – the theme is the tragedy of a character who can’t die watching everyone else fade away. “His saving grace and his kryptonite is women” – Jackman.

After thanking the fans for giving him a big career so he can afford to of smaller indie movies, he asks if he can bring out a director of one of those – Bryan Singer!

Singer, after apologizing for unfinished effects, showed a 3D clip, in which Magneto and Professor X in a dark future send Wolverine back in time into his past body to convince a younger Professor X to change his mind about something. Lots of Cold War imagery, different Mutants, young Magneto using his powers on Mystique, Logan with healing bullet holes, Magneto fighting Beast in the water…

McAvoy: “I don’t want your suffering! I don’t want your future!”

Trailer ends with Stewart saying to McAvoy “Please…We need you to hope again.”

(no Sentinels shown)

And as the clip ended, every major star of the movie came out to take a huge bow. Boucher calls this even bigger than the Avengers lining up on stage.

Quicksilver is described as “really smart and a bit of a spaz.” Dinklage confirms he’s playing Bolivar Trask.

Stewart is asked to compare Star Trek ensemble to X-Men – says it’s a blessing to have that experience once in a career is a blessing, and two is extraordinary.

McKellen: “I feel safe here now you’ve gotten rid of Proposition 8. I’m looking for a husband – It’s great to meet you, Michael…but I don’t want Patrick to get jealous.” He and Stewart are going to do some Broadway plays together.

Berry says what she loves about Storm is she’s like the earth-mother, the mom of the group. What she hates about Storm is that she never gets any love. “Is she like asexual and nobody told me?”

“NO! Black Panther!” – Boucher.

Last guy in the panel, Omar (sorry, I didn’t catch the surname) is Bishop. He looks the part.

Fan question: Deadpool? Gets a big cheer. Singer says that anything is possible, but not in this movie. Thinks there’s potentially a lot of room for expanding the film canon. So no announcements about this? I thought every rumor site was saying we’d hear about X-Force and other spin-offs.

Jackman: “If you come to my house most Saturday nights I’m grooving as Wolverine.”

Question about a Gambit-Rogue involvement. Singer: “We’re exploring all options.” Taylor Kitsch needs the work.

Quicksilver will have the ’70s costume.

Jackman guarantees Wolverine will not sing. Crowd cheers the idea of Wolverine: The Musical, getting Jackman to belt out: “I’m gonna slice ’em! I’m gonna dice ’em!” Says he walked around San Diego in his full Wolverine costume yesterday and nobody stopped him. One guy said “Not bad” and another said “Whoa, WAY too tall.”

McAvoy called Gambit his favorite X-Men, because both of them have funny accents. Jackman picks Deadpool as his fave.

Stewart: “I would like to play any female character in any X-Men movie, because then I might have a chance of winning an Academy Award.”

Standing ovation for the cast at the end.