Mandy's Mind: Immortals Panel at SDCC

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Immortals Panel at SDCC

“Immortals” is the latest big-budget action movie looking for love from the audience at Comic-Con International, but unlike most of the other films being pitched here in San Diego, it’s not based on a comic-book, graphic novel or video game. “Immortals,” which opens Nov. 11, is an original screenplay — based albeit on Greek mythology.

I love Grek Mythology, but for some reason have been fairly indifferent to this upcoming film, even though it stars Kellan Lutz from Twilight, Henry Cavill, from the upcoming Superman and Freida Pinto from Slumdog Millionare. Still, my love for Greek Mythology has been intrigued enough to keep up on the production and promotion. I will definately go see it in theatres once it is released this November.

The “Immortals” footage featured very stylized fighting, heavy CG-effects and a vivid color palate with lots of dark red blood spurting everywhere. Fans were shown the fight scene twice.

Surprisingly, Singh says there were a lot of physical effects, more than he believes were used on Snyder’s “300,” a film that feels in the same vein as “Immortals,” which is also a highly stylized actioner.

Below are photos and summary from live blogs for those who were not there and wish to hear all the juicy details - click more...

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Digital Spy live blogged the panel"

1.02pm: And here come the panelists - first up, producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton and director Tarsem Singh! Tarsem claims that the tone for Immortals is "a little darker" and "more hardcore" than the initial trailers might have you believe.

1.05pm: Gianni adds that the Gods featured in the film are "a little younger" than people might be used to. Plus, "they're pissed".

1.06pm: Now for some exclusive footage, narrated by John Hurt. There's a strong 300 feel to the clip - it's intense, action-packed and violent!

1.08pm: Tarsem admits that he might get "a lot of crap" for featuring young gods in the film, but quips that if you were immortal and could live forever, you'd want to look like Henry Cavill. It's a fair point!

1.09pm: Speaking of which, here come the cast - Freida Pinto (Phaedra), Stephen Dorff (Stavros), Luke Evans (Zeus), Kellan Lutz (Poseidon) and Henry Cavill (Theseus). Much screaming from the crowd.

1.12pm: Henry admits that he originally joined the project to work with Tarsem, while Kellan describes his character as "salty" and "the God of Wetness". Oh my!

1.15pm: Steven Dorff discusses his character, the slave Stavros, and reveals that he's a little "horny" for Freida Pinto's character.

1.16pm: The moderator asks Mark Canton how he managed to scoop up so many up-and-coming actors. The producer claims that he's keen to avoid "the bulls**t of the past" and focus on what's the next big thing. He's done well, I'm sure you'll agree.

1.18pm: "Is everybody happy to see Henry?" asks the moderator. The crowd whoops and cheers in approval. Henry then talks about "finding a voice" for his character and explains that he was keen to avoid being too "stuffy" as Theseus. "You don't want to be too English about it," he says. "But you don't want to be too American about it either."

1.23pm: Just had another glimpse at footage from the film - an absurd but gruesomely entertaining fight scene. Looks like good, silly fun.

1.25pm: The moderator opens the floor to fan questions, asking the audience to keep questions related to Immortals only. What ever could he mean?

1.26pm: A fan asks Tarsem what the key is to producing a successful 3D film. The director suggests that if you're ready for it, 3D can be a useful tool, but if it's forced on you in post-production, then it can detract from the final product. The audience applauds in agreement.

1.29pm: The cast is asked what was the most difficult part of filming. "Staying in shape was really tough," says Henry Cavill. "Except Kellan. Kellan is always in shape."

1.32pm: The next audience member asks Luke and Kellan about their "divine powers" in the film. Luke explains that Zeus is "more manual" in the film, using a whip and chains to fight rather than thunder-bolts and lightning.

1.34pm: The next fan is wearing a Superman shirt, but asks an Immortals question. When Tarsem is asked why he only included a certain number of gods in the film, he replies, "I could only gather up so many good-looking guys."

1.36pm: Did Kellan do any research for the role of Poseidon? "I watched The Little Mermaid again," he quips.

1.38pm: Freida Pinto is asked by an adoring fan what her favorite part of working on the film was. "Watching the men!" she admits. "It's not often that the men have to bare all, and the women can stay covered."

1.42pm: Steven Dorff is quizzed about his career in general. "I just like to mix it up," he explains. "I want to play different kinds of roles, different challenges on all different levels."

1.43pm: The moderator finally asks Henry Cavill the big Superman question. "It's one of the best scripts I've ever read," says the Brit actor. "I'm humbled by the whole experience, and I can't wait to get started."

Here are some photos from Twilightish.com: