CinemaCon: Warner Bros. Presentation Recap

Toby Emmerich introduced Warner Bros. presentation on Tuesday, highlighting some of the studio’s successes and looking forward to its future slate. A sizzle reel of films from the Warner Bros. legacy plays. 2018 films highlighted include Ready Player One, Rampage, Tomb Raider, Game Night, Aquaman, The Meg, Fantastic Beasts, and more.

The Aquaman footage saw Aquaman kicking a chunk of metal someone, slams another guy into a wall inside a submarine, and is later with Mera on a boat refering to himself as “a blood instrument.” He catches a sword between his hands in a later clip, with the point right in front of its face.

Warner Bros. is excited to highlight 2017, as it was a record year for the studio at the box office, thoroughly thanking the theater owners for their collaboration and support.

It’s time to look forward to what else is coming in 2018 with Will Arnett hosting. “If you guys ever wonder why that character doesn’t have nipples, it’s because these guy keep milking it so much,” Arnett says of his LEGO Batman hero. “We got an incredible line up coming to a theater near you, or better yet, your theater.”

A peek at what’s next in the DC universe kicks things off.

“It’s wish fulfilment,” Patty Jenkins calls it. “No matter who you are you can change the world.”

“People think they know Aquaman,” Wan said. Clips and art flash by. “It’s so bad-ass.”

“It has a little bit of Indiana Jones. It feels like Star Wars,” Momoa adds. “I fell in love with the idea of what it’s like to have these powers.”

“The character of Shazam has a very rich history,” Sandberg said.

“It is basically the movie Big with super powers,” Levi said.

Billy yells Shazam!” Clips see some punches, a truck falling from the sky.

Wonder Woman is an “optimistic and positive character,” Jenkins said. “This film set in the 80’s, she has to deal with the temptation of our world, and face extraordinary odds.” “She is now at her full powers. We’re raising the bar.” A clip sees Wonder Woman flying into the frame.

“A super hero movie that hasn’t quite been done before,” Wan calls his Aquaman. “It’s a chance to dig into this world and create this really amazing world with this amazing cast.”

“You’re the best f—ing Batman,” Momoa says to Arnett.

Arnett asks why Momoa was excited. “Its weird to compare this but was born in Hawaii and raised in Iowa,” Momoa said. “I wasn’t really accepted in either…”

Amber Herd is asked about Mera. “They respect the dignity of the character’s strength in Mera. She’s very much her own super hero. She’s not some damsel who needs to be rescue. She actually rescues you more! She’s strong and I love that. I wanted to live up to that so I trained and mentally had to prepare for dealing with these guys.”

Patrick Wilson is asked about the Ocean Master. “I thought we were doing a horror movie!” Wilson said. “I remember on the first movie we did together…I remember thinking this guy could do any genre and I can’t wait to watch it and hopefully be a part of it…I think the one thing that this guy des is he has such an intention to character…when it comes down to it, relies on character and relationships.”

“I can’t say so much so the first thing is that people are so excited to see it,” Abdul-Mateen said, playing Black Manta. “Teasing the fans, a huge fanbase, has been a whole lot of fun. We’re gonna open it up at some point… This is a guy who is very driven. He has a reason for what he’s doing. He’s gonna come in and kick a lot of ass.”

Wan brought footage, prefaced with it being incomplete.

“I can’t believe your finally here,” someone says. The camera dives into the water. A ship soars through the water. A gladiator match seems to be coming. The ship enters Atlantis, with several ships ferrying in and out. The Ocean Master stands in the coliseum, rallying the crowd against his brother who will challenge him for the throne. Arthur trains on the beach. He’s younger and catches the quindent with his bare hands, just before his face. He lifts a submarine from the water. He kicks ass inside the sub. Above water, he tells Mera he is a “blood instrument” and he’s “damn good at it”. Mera begs Arthur to help so “millions of people” don’t die. Water crashes on land. Dafoe’s character tells him to go “deeper” to discover his Atlantean instincts, before being revealed in a leather-y black costume. Black Manta looks ripped from a comic, with glowing red eyes. A war between an army on foot underwater and men riding sharks ensues. The Ocean Master promises to bring the”wrath of seven seas.”

The next film focused on is Life of the Party. After a trailer, Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone take the stage to discuss the film with Arnett. It is followed by the cat of Ocean’s 8 taking the stage.

“I like to instigate and have everyone else execute,” Sandra Bullock said of her character before introducing a clip.

Hathway’s character is getting a breakdown of others from James Corden. The group learns of the plan to steal Hathaway’s jewelry. Cate Blanchett’s character is witty. Hathaway’s is bratty. Sarah Paulson mispronounces “gala” while claiming she is not actually over qualified. Rihanna is the hacker of the group. Helena Bonham Carter panic about going to prison. Quick clips see the group trying to execute their plan. After the title, the women banter over a computer, and Rihanna has a quick fix.

Next is horror films from New Line. In 2018 ,The Conjuring universe continues with The Nun. A featurette begins.

Wan says it hasn’t a very different look, comparing it to a “classic Italian horror film.” Footage sees people trying to exercise demons but end up surrounded by nuns who have hands permanently over their faces.

This summer, It: Chapter 2 goes into production. “They’re gonna find a lot of things that resemble the first one, the humor the emotion the horror,” Andy Muschietti said. “People are very invested emotionally in the characters of the story. At the end of the first one there’s a promise of something else…It’s gonna be scarier. It’s gonna be a more intense experience. So, bring your adult diapers to the theater.” It: Chapter 2 hits theaters September 6, 2019.

The cast of Tag take the stage after a trailer. “You gotta be quick, you gotta have cunning, you gotta be cunning,” Helms said. “There guys are a real bunch of guys who actually do this.”

“It’s all the same,” Renner said. “All I had to do was not get tagged, I guess.”

Next is The Meg, which Arnett describes as “Jaws on steroids.” A trailer plays before the attention shifts to Crazy Rich Asians. The cast are quite broad to be the first film with an entirely Asian film in 25 years.

Next up is Teen Titans Go! To The Movies.

In the trailer, Robin is stoked to see a movie about Batman’s greatest ally, who turns out to be Alfred. The heroes tour Warner Bros. and see the huge number of DC characters becoming heroes. They are determined to earn themselves movies. Deathstroke emerges, just as they need an archnemesis. They think he’s Deadpool and Deathstroke is confused as to why everyone thinks he is Deadpool, especially since he came first. Some action sequences cut by before Deathstroke has a showdown with the Titans in a giant mech suit.

After the trailer, Arnett jokes about Deathstroke being the real hero of the film, as he lends his voice to the character.

Arnett goes on to introduce a never-before-seen look a Small Foot. The main character is terrified by a plane, calling it a monster, and meeting a human. He exiled when the leader doesn’t believe the story. He meets other banished friends and tries to find the human. Afterwards, Channing Tatum, Zendaya, and Common take the stage.

Mowgli, directed by Andy Serkis, is next. He takes the stage with Cate Blanchett, Rohan Chand, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

“People are so used to the 1968 animation of Jungle Book,” Serkis to set. In his version, “through the mentorship of the creatures that surround him [Mowgli] finds a way from going from this child to the leader of this jungle.”

“He was dealt a really bad hand in life,” Chand said. “I really got a great opportunity to really explore Mowgli and portray him in a way that he hasn’t been before.”

Serkis introduces the first trailer for Mowgli.

The character claws and bites his way out of a cage. A cougar talks to him and encourages him to gain trust. Elsewhere, he is taken by monkeys. He rides the cat. He hunts with wolves. A huge tiger greets Mowgli, terrifying greeting him and commenting on how he’s grown. A tribe passes him a round. A bear runs through the woods with him. A wolf looks him in the eye, believing he will bring peace to the jungle. Now, though, the wolf things Mowgli has become a man. “I am not a man, but neither am I a wolf,” Mowgli says.

Next, Bradley Cooper takes the stage to talk about A Star is Born, which he stars in and directs. “It’s a big swing this movie,” he said. “But you can’t control what moves you…I always wanted to tell a love story and this project was around before and it always stayed with me…to me, music is the most purest way you can communicate love.” This is different for movies with film because the perspective is almost always from the stage rather than the crowd.

He introduces the trailer, which sees a love story blossom between his and Lady Gaga’s characters as they become musicians.

Arnett introduces The Crimes of Grindewwald cast. “I had always dreamt of growing to Hogwarts,” Redmayne said. “So in this film I get to go to Hogwarts…We all get to meet Dumbledore who Jude Law plays.” The cast goes on to compliment Jude Law’s tan.

Law wanted to bring something special here so he has some unfinished exclusive footage.

Footage begins, starting in Hogwarts. Dumbledore explains “everyone is scared of something.” Young Newt moves papers with his mind. What he fears above everyone else is “having to work in an office.” Footage explores the London world. Grindewald rallies a counsel to change their ways. Villains emerge from the shadows with big cats. Dumbledore won’t move against Grindelwald but he encourages Newt to do it. It ends with Grindelwald riding a sleigh through a storm.