This weekend BFI Southbank and Empire magazine presented the third annual Movie-Con weekend.
The three-day event showcases the best of new genre cinema through a programme of preview screenings, presentations and onstage Q&As. Perhaps best described as a boutique alternative to San Diego's Comic-Con, Movie-Con has established a fervently loyal following of its own, as a visit to Empire Online's forum will attest.
With much of the programme kept firmly under wraps, excitement was sustained throughout the weekend as a steady stream of surprise guests took to the stage to discuss their latest projects. On Friday night Danny Boyle introduced the trailer for 127 Hours, following an announcement earlier that day that the film will close the 54th BFI London Film Festival this October.
Producers Allen Reich and Andrew Macdonald then presented a taste of Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go, which will be the festival's Opening Night film, and confirmed rumours that New Zealand actor Karl Urban has been cast to play the lead in the forthcoming version of Judge Dredd. The evening concluded with a screening of The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone's all-star homage to the ultra-violent action films of the 80s.
Saturday's highlights included Daniel Radcliffe presenting a sneak preview of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Kenneth Branagh discussing his adaptation of Marvel’s Thor and precocious rising star Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) introducing footage of high profile horror remake Let Me In. The first standing ovation of the day, however, was reserved for one audience member who proposed to his girlfriend onstage during a break between presentations. She said yes.
Top of the bill on Sunday was Edgar Wright, who came fresh off a transatlantic flight to present the UK's first public screening of Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, ahead of its premiere this Wednesday. After the film, which received a rapturous reception, Wright took part in a Q&A with Bryan Lee O’Malley, author of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels.
Earlier in the day the audience was treated to stunning new footage from Disney's Tron: Legacy. A recorded message from Johnny Deep whetted appetites for the next instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean, before Simon Pegg and Nick Frost arrived to a chorus of cheers. They discussed their new film Paul, and admitted to becoming completely starstruck in the presence of Steven Spielberg and Sigourney Weaver.
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