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2014 Movie News Archives

July 26, 2014: "Batman v Superman" Hall H 2014 Report

Hall H starts with the moderator, The Nerdist's Chris Hardwick, welcoming everyone into Hall H. After a brief hello, it was time for the screen to get bigger. The curtains on the side of the room pull back to reveal two enormous screens that now surround half of Hall H.

Warner Bros. has brought these enormous screens to Comic-Con the past three years, in order to give us an ultra-cinematic experience that dwarfs even the biggest movie theaters.

Everyone cheers as the music builds to a climax, fully revealing these enormous screens.

Chris Hardwick then says that we're not done, and the music starts again and the curtains pull back EVEN MORE, to reveal what are the largest screens ever placed in Hall H. In my 20 years of visiting Comic-Con, and my many times in Hall H, I have never seen anything like it. The screens take up the entire walls of Hall H, giving you a 180 degree view.

They waste no time in beginning the panel. The lights go out, the music plays, and it begins.

(Disclaimer: The following descriptions of the footage will be described as best as I can remember it. Everything happened so quickly, I didn't get enough time to document anything, I'm doing this straight from what I remember, sitting in Hall H).

A quick glimpse of Superman appears in the front screen. He pops up again on another screen with a different pose. The music keeps building. We then see an image of Superman punching Doomsday with an uppercut. Then glimpses of Batman appear. The screens go black. Superman is shown on the furthest side of the left screen, with Batman on the furthest right. They approach each other at the center front screen, with the final glimpse of them facing each other. It ends with the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice title card.

Zach Snyder comes out. He's met with great enthusiasm. He says he brought a few friends with him. Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck come out. People cheer. Then Gal Gadot walks out and joins them.

Snyder says they have only been shooting for two months now, there really isn't anything to show us yet. But, he was able to put together a tiny teaser, just for the San Diego Comic-Con. The room goes black, and we get to see the FIRST footage ever filmed of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Thunder strikes. A dark night in Gotham City. The camera pans down over the roof of the building. We see Batman. He is wearing very heavy battle armor. Very similar to Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" version. The eyes of the cowl are lit up, his eyes glow bright like lanterns. He uncovers the Bat Signal. The emblem on the Bat Signal is the same one from Dark Knight Returns. He turns on the signal, shining it into the sky. It's pointed directly at Henry Cavill's SUPERMAN. He is floating, staring back at Batman, and he does NOT look happy. His eyes start to glow red. It looks like he aims his heat vision at the Bat Signal, but it's not clear if that happens because that's where the footage ends, and the title card for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is displayed.

The crowd cheers unlike anything you have ever heard before. Snyder thanks everyone, and they show the footage again.

The whole short experience could not have lasted more than 10 minutes.

The crowd roared. People were in tears. The feeling is indescribable. This is my 20th year attending the San Diego Comic-Con, and it just keeps getting better. I predict that one year from now, there will be enough footage of "Batman v Superman" that we'll get to see scenes from the actual film. I will do my best to be inside Hall H in 2015.

Luis A. Jaime