So, this week is the San Diego Comic-Con, which is always exciting because we get a look at all the cool new projects coming down the pipeline in film, television, comics, etc. We can usually look forward to new trailers for big movies and first looks at major projects in comics, TV, and film. There have already been a few cool panels that have shown some interesting trailers and other promotional material.
But the content Netflix has been promoting really caught my eye in particular. As we all know Netflix has become a powerhouse in television. They’ve basically become a new network with projects like Stranger Things, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and all the other Marvel series’s. Those examples are just the tip of the iceberg, they have a few very strong animated series as well, like Guillermo Del Toro’s Trollhunters. Now it looks like they’re making a serious play for producing their own original movies. Just like their television series, these movies will be made available streaming immediately at their premiere date. The two that I thought looked really intriguing and have the potential to be very cool were “Bright” starring Will Smith and “Death Note” based on the popular Manga. Here are the trailers for both:
These are two very different projects, but they have serious talent attached to both. The production values certainly look on par with what’s put out by the major film studios. Personally, both of these movies look right up my alley. I don’t want to get into a lengthy analysis of these trailers, but I really like the idea behind “Bright”. Telling a gritty, modern day cop story, in a world where orcs, elves, and magic exist sounds cool to me. But if it’s executed poorly it could be terrible. It’s directed by David Ayer who is very hit or miss, but Max Landis who wrote the script is a excellent writer despite his reputation.
I don’t know nearly as much about “Death Note”. I’m not familiar with the source material, but the trailer was very interesting. I’m not sure what his name is, but I’ve seen the lead actor in a number of films and I’ve always really liked him. And GOOD GOD Willem Dafoe looks creepy as FUCK as that fucking death god creature.
Anyway, I thought these were both interesting projects to keep an eye on. Hopefully Netflix will turn out to be as successful at making films as they are at making television shows. The more cool content the better as far as I’m concerned. “Death Note” premieres on Netflix on 8/25 and “Bright” premieres on 12/22. I’m sure there will be more stuff coming out of Comic-Con that I’ll want comment on either here or on the podcast so keep a lookout for that. As always, thanks for reading!
-Paul
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