Comic-Con 2007 Wrap-Up

"Wow, there are a lot of you."

It was a refrain heard over and over again as actors and filmmakers representing some of Hollywood's biggest upcoming films gazed out over a sea of some 6,500 fans seated in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center at this past weekend's 38th Annual Comic-Con (get our full coverage of the events here). In all the sold-out convention hosted 120,000 fanboys and girls of all ages. No wonder movie studios have anointed Comic-Con the ideal setting to debut footage and introduce casts from their tentpole films and hopeful blockbusters.

Yet despite panels that included early looks at Indiana Jones 4, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Watchmen, earth-shattering announcements were few and far between, and most dealt with casting. In a live feed from the Indy set, Steven Spielberg, who sat alongside stars Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone and Shia LaBeouf (still in shock that he's in Indiana Jones), pulled up a chair for Karen Allen, now reprising the role of Marian Ravenwood. And though casting announcements for Watchmen (Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Star Trek XI (Zachary Quinto as a young Spock) had been leaked online in the days prior, Trek director J.J. Abrams brought the house down when he brought out Leonard Nimoy, who will also appear as Spock. The creators of The Chronicles of Narnia, meanwhile, announced that next May's Prince of Caspian will be followed by an additional installment releasing every summer through 2013.

Among the news that didn't come: Indy 4 still doesn't have a title. J.J. Abrams followed up the trailer for the internet sensation known as "Cloverfield" with a 45-second, mile-a-minute speech that confirmed yes, it is a monster movie, and it is influenced by Godzilla, but no, it is NOT a Godzilla monster movie. Warner Bros. featured neither The Dark Knight nor Speed Racer in their panel, but the studio did pull off an elaborate Batman stunt outside of the convention: A plane flew a banner with a phone number that led fans through a series of riddles until they got a look at the teaser trailer and a new photo of The Joker (Heath Ledger) holding a knife to Maggie Gyllenhaal's throat (a Lindsay Lohan homage, perhaps?).

As far as the footage revealed, no single film enthralled the masses in the same way 300 did a year ago (fans demanded the scenes be shown three times), but a few came close. Iron Man emerged as the most buzzed-about pic after director Jon Favreau showed footage of Robert Downey Jr.'s transformation into the amored hero once during the Paramount panel and twice during Marvel's presentation. Downey Jr. was clearly basking in the glory of his new role as superhero. "I drove really cool cars, and I've got this plane that's a mile long," he said. "The only time I've ever gotten used to real wealth and toys and all that was when I was visiting my other buddies that have done franchise movies."

Backstage, Downey Jr. and co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow (limping around after foot surgery) and Terrence Howard crossed paths with the Superbad posse of Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. New Hulk Edward Norton successfully avoided the interview rounds while his co-star Liv Tyler was seen playfully grabbing hold of a male journalist's rump. Sometimes things got plain weird: While this writer interviewed Shoot 'Em Up star Clive Owen, long ago-A-lister Sean Young (at the convention for the Blade Runner anniversary edition DVD panel) abrasively interrupted to introduce herself, mutter something about her kids and then pitch the star on working together. "My theory is that if we were in a movie together the chemistry would be pretty smashing," she told him while scribbling down her number on a borrowed piece of paper. Suffice to say Owen was visibly bemused.

But onstage he met a rollicking reception to clips from his over-the-top thriller Shoot 'Em Up. The film features Owen as a mysterious, "hard-boiled" hero who essentially does everything imaginable while shooting people. That includes delivering a baby (guess how he cuts the umbilical cord?) and having sex with Monica Bellucci. He also munches on carrots throughout the film and occasionally uses them as lethal weapons. "I thought it was the wildest thing I'd read in years, I really did," the actor said.

While Comic-Con naturally lends itself to films of the action, superhero, sci-fi, horror and fantasy ilk, studios are increasingly testing the limits of what they can showcase. In a panel moderated awkwardly and disastrously by Fox Newsman Bill McCuddy (His idea of humor? Insult the audience!), Lionsgate brought out Dane Cook and Jessica Alba from the raunchy comedy Good Luck Chuck and Ben Foster and Peter Fonda from the western 3:10 to Yuma. The genre-stretching paid better dividends for Warner Bros., whose Steve Carell-starrer Get Smart looks like a surefire smash (Carell appeared with The Rock and other cast members), and Rogue, whose laugh-a-second Balls of Fury panel with Dan Fogler, Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon was easily the most amusing 30 minutes of the entire convention.

It's hardly just the movies and other panels and exhibitions that provide endless entertainment at Comic-Con. There are the people, those that brave the long lines, hot sun and world's worst excuse for pizza to get a peek at their favorite movie franchise or latest line of comics. They come dressed as Gandalf, Captain Jack, Leonidas, and of course, storm troopers. And they almost never deny you a photo (look for our upcoming "Sexiest Geeks of Comic-Con" gallery) and hold signs offering "free hugs." Nothing, really, beats when the fans get to ask their icons questions at the panel Q&A sessions. At the Balls of Fury panel, for instance, questions were fired from Optimus Prime in a Cubs hat, "Slaveship Leia" and even Reno 911! star/obvious plant Cedric Yarbrough. Then there's the questioner of all questioners, Bob $tencil, a Comic-Con fan who's become a star in his own right. He's one of about 120,000 reasons why the event is such a success.