“Everything I learned about the movie business I learned at Comic-Con.”
Jon Favreau
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Walking around San Diego for the 2011 Comic Con is an experience like no other. It combines the crowds and energy of SXSW with the geekiness of opening night at Harry Potter.
There are costumes galore with (my favorite) girls as sexy evil villains, stormtroopers, ghostbusters, goths, and geeks — and it’s, in a word, awesome.
You can buy comic book art, comic books, legendary toys, video games, and mingle like it’s nerd cocktail hour.
The big deal, though, is Hollywood. The industry has taken over the event. Every celebrity actor, director, agent, and writer shows up. This year Steven Speilberg and Peter Jackson wowed a Con audience with a dual-appearance. They spend millions on everything from sneak peek trailers, to gigantic booths and exclusive parties.
And, we love it.
If you’re at all intrigued you must read the article below.
It’s a personal account from Jon Favreau, the actor (Swingers, PCU) and writer/director (Elf, Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens), on his experiences of both bombing and killing it.
He gives some insight into how movies have intersected with this Con and turned the geeks into king-makers.
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“The energy hit me in the sternum like a wrecking ball. The feeling in that room created a flood of endorphins that took hours to dissipate from my brainpan. After showing the clip a second time, I ran off the stage, and a year before that movie ever made it into theaters, Iron Man was a hit. Any misgivings about the new studio, the director or the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark seemed to evaporate in those few, precious moments. By the time Downey took the stage on Saturday during the Marvel panel, he was welcomed as one of their own.”
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