Headed to Comic-Con this year? You may see a few more cameras then usual. Last February we reported on the Morgan Spurlock/Joss Whedon comic-con documentary. Now we have full details via /Film.
Morgan Spurlock will officially direct the film and AICN founder Harry Knowles will produce alongside Joss Whedon as they follow “seven different people from across America, and around the world, as they descend upon and the veritable Mecca of fandom and experience the rapture that is Comic-Con.” Check out the full press release below and tell us your thoughts in the comments!
MORGAN SPURLOCK, STAN LEE, JOSS WHEDON, HARRY KNOWLES AND THOMAS TULL BRING COMIC-CON CULTURE TO LIFE WITH GROUNDBREAKING NEW FEATURE DOCUMENTARY: ‘COMIC-CON EPISODE FOUR: A FAN’S HOPE’
Burbank, CA – May 20, 2010 – Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, producers Thomas Tull and Jeremy Chilnick along with comics icon Stan Lee, writer/producer Joss Whedon and online film guru Harry Knowles have joined together to bring audiences the feature length documentary COMIC-CON ESPISODE FOUR: A FAN’S HOPE. The concept for the film is spurred by the ever-growing influence that San Diego Comic-Con continues to have on comics, film, television and pop-culture. The feature documentary will follow seven different people from across America, and around the world, as they descend upon and the veritable Mecca of fandom and experience the rapture that is Comic-Con.
Stan Lee, who is the chairman of Pow! Entertainment, said “An incredible phenomenon is occurring throughout the world. The once-denigrated comicbook has become one of the mightiest pillars of today’s culture. Many of our highest-grossing movies, best selling toys and most popular video games owe their existence to the increasingly influential comicbook. Truly, we live in the day of an ever-burgeoning, ever-growing comicbook culture.”
“When I was a kid, comics changed my life and my world,” said director Morgan Spurlock. “So when I got to San Diego, I felt like I was home. It was such an overwhelming experience for me, and I soon found out that I was not alone. So for me to get to share the experience of Comic-Con with fans all over the world will be an incredible opportunity.”
Thomas Tull, who is producing outside of his day job as Chairman of Legendary Pictures, said “There is no age limit to a fanboy or girl; rather it is a mindset and a love of comics and all things inspired by them that make up this growing community. We look forward to capturing the spirit, energy and people that Comic-Con has infused into legions of fans, bringing these audiences and projects out of the Halls and onto a world stage.”
Harry Knowles said “Comic-Con and the culture that swirls around it is such a beautiful, bizarre and varied universe to capture. I for one, cannot wait to have Morgan film and share it with the world. I’ve been going to Comic-Con since 1974 and have been amazed that nobody has mounted a serious attempt at documenting what it is that happens there. This is an incredibly exciting project, one that I’m very proud to be a part of!”
Added David Glanzer, spokesperson for Comic-Con, “Since our first convention in 1970 our attendees have long known that comics are as viable form of art and entertainment as any other. We look forward to Morgan sharing this message with an even broader audience.”
COMIC-CON EPISODE FOUR: A FAN’S HOPE will begin shooting in June and culminate its principal photography at this year’s Comic-Con in July. Morgan Spurlock will direct the film and Thomas Tull will produce alongside Spurlock’s Warrior Poets producing partner, Jeremy Chilnick. Stan Lee, Joss Whedon and Harry Knowles will executive produce. The film will capture not only a moment in time that literally touches hundreds of thousands of people, but a world that inspires us all – but more than anything else, it will show us that whether at home or away, in costume or not, en masse or alone, we should all have the courage and confidence to be ourselves.
FILMMAKER AND CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
Morgan Spurlock
Spurlock’s debut film Super Size Me was a massive success and earned Spurlock a 2004 Academy Award® nomination for Best Documentary. Spurlock followed up with Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008) and produced three seasons of the acclaimed television series 30 Days (FX Networks 2005-2008). In January, Spurlock conceived, wrote and directed The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, a documentary special that examined the “cultural phenomenon” of the American animated television series The Simpson (Fox, January 10, 2010). And most recently, he completed work on the ensemble feature length adaptation of the NY Times Bestseller, Freakonomics (Magnolia, 2010).
Thomas Tull
Tull has combined his entrepreneurial acumen, deep understanding of film finance and true passion for movies, comic books, video games and fantasy fare to achieve great success in the co-production and co-financing of event movies with Warner Bros. Pictures via his Legendary Pictures banner. Since its inception in 2004, Legendary Pictures has teamed with the studio on hits such as Superman Returns, Batman Begins, Watchmen, the blockbuster 300 and the record-breaking, award-winning film phenomenon, The Dark Knight, which has earned in excess of $1 billion worldwide.
More recently, this highly successful partnership produced the global box office success Clash of the Titans, The runaway hit comedy The Hangover and Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are, considered by many an instant classic. Upcoming releases for 2010 include Jonah Hex, The Town and Due Date. On deck for 2011 are Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Killer, Todd Phillips’ The Hangover sequel and Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch. Tull’s company is also developing a number of promising film projects in-house, including Warcraft, a sequel to 300, Warren Ellis’ Gravel, Paradise Lost and Hendrix.
Tull conceived and is a producer of the renowned music documentary It Might Get Loud, featuring guitarists The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Jack White (The White Stripes). Directed by Oscar® winner Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth), the film made its world premiere at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival and was released by Sony Pictures Classics.
Jeremy Chilnick
Jeremy Chilnick has worked with Morgan Spurlock for the past six years. In that time he has overseen all elements of production and development for their production company Warrior Poets. After co-producing the Shopocalpyse chronicling documentary What Would Jesus Buy as well as the official Cannes selection The Third Wave, Jeremy has gone on to write, produce and executive produce multiple films and television shows. Since 2008, Chilnick, with Spurlock has co-written and co-produced, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special! In 3-D on Ice! and most recently the documentary adaptation of the New York Time best selling Freakonomics.
Stan Lee
Lee is a celebrated comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality. He co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and many other fictional characters. Stan is currently developing entirely new franchises for film and television with his producing partner Gill Champion, President of his company POW! Entertainment. POW! Has a first look deal with Disney, while Stan still cherishes the title of Chairman Emeritus of Marvel.
Joss Whedon
Oscar® nominated Whedon is an American director, executive producer, and creator/head writer of the television programs Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse. He has written several film scripts (Toy Story, Speed, Alien Resurrection, X-Men) and comic book series (Astonishing X-Men). Whedon ventured into online entertainment with musical superhero spoof, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which is available on Hulu and iTunes. Whedon is a regular guest at Whedonesque.com, which New York Magazine describes as one of the Net’s most powerful online fan communities.
Harry Knowles
Knowles is the iconoclast founder of movie newsbuzz Website, aintitcoolnews. Used by over 1.5 million users daily, the site is a resource as to what is and isn’t happening in the film industry, sneak previews, hunches, and gossip.