THE HITS, THE STUNTS, THE REVELATIONS, THE F-BOMBS. EMPIRE CONSIDERS THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS TO COME OUT OF LAS VEGAS MEGA-EVENT CINEMACON
IT’S THE ANNUAL event where the big studios show off all their newest and shiniest wares. It is where franchises are launched, sequels are announced, footage is unveiled, big stars present and studio bosses dress up in silly costumes. Currently held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the gathering formerly known as ShoWest (it was renamed in 2011, presumably to be more like Comic-Con) is organised by NATO. No, not the international military alliance, silly: the National Association of Theatre Owners.
What footage got the biggest reaction?
The king (or rather emperor) of this year’s Con was Gladiator II, which Sir Ridley Scott, via video message, claimed was “possibly even more extraordinary than the first”. The reportedly thrilling footage shown backed this bold claim up, with scenes of gladiators fighting monkeys, a rhino and — nom nom — sharks.
What were the big announcements?
The toy/game crowd must have been pleased with the news that the G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover teased at the end of Rise Of The Beasts is definitely happening, while the long-mooted Monopoly movie is now passing go at Margot Robbie’s production company. There’s also a “gritty, R-rated” live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the works (they must have turned 18), based on recent comic book The Last Ronin. Plus, Star Trek will be finally beaming back to our cinema screens with the prequeltastic Untitled Star Trek Origin Story (not the final title), written by Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride And Prejudice And Zombies) and directed by Toby Haynes (Black Mirror, Andor).
What else went down well?
The worldwide debut of Joker: Folie À Deux — featuring that lipstick-smile trick shot — made the audience go Gaga, while other exhibitor-exciter highlights included M. Night
Shyamalan’s Trap, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, Blumhouse’s reheating of The Blair Witch Project, and Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, which co-stars Keanu Reeves as an angel.
Any surprising omissions?
Sadly, Reeves didn’t turn up, despite also appearing in another CinemaCon hit, John Wick spin-off Ballerina. And while DC Films co-boss Peter Safran was there to reveal documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, his wingman, James Gunn, was notably absent (in person), with nothing from Superman: Legacy to show. Similarly, we were denied the expected reveal of Mission: Impossible 8, while animated Lord Of The Rings movie The War Of The Rohirrim was kept firmly in the stable.
Were there any big stunts?
It wouldn’t be CinemaCon without a stunt or two. New footage for Jon M. Chu’s Wicked was cued up by an auditorium-filling constellation of glowing tulips and none other than Oz himself, Jef
