By Kevin Lally
Warner Bros.again stagedits "Big Picture"presentation ofits upcoming releases on the final day of ShoWest in Las Vegas. The studiowas honored at the Final Night Banquet and Awards Ceremony with the Worldwide Box Office Achievement Award for setting a worldwide box-office record of $4.01 billion in 2009. And based on the preview of its future product, the outlook for Warners in 2010 is equally robust.
Like last year, Warner Bros. Entertainment president and COO Alan Horn was on hand to introduce the directors and some of the stars of its 2010 slate. Frenchman Louis Letterier previewed two action sequences from the 3D Clash of the Titans, revealing that he was a huge fan of the rather campy 1981 original that boasted stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen. The new version substitutes high-tech CGI, of course, and the last-minute conversion from 2D to 3D looked like a success. Avatar lead Sam Worthington, ShoWest's Male Star of the Year, also took the stage, looking less imposing than he does onscreen. (Letterier made a point of praising Worthington's legs, which are amply displayed in the movie.)
Next up wasdirector Christopher Nolan, praised by Horn as someone who truly deserves the term "visionary." Nolan recalled introducing The Dark Knight to the ShoWest crowd two years ago, and the trailer from his mystery-shrouded newproject, Inception, wasvisually striking andtantalizing. Nolan promised "a world in which anything can happen" and an "immersive experience" when audiences watch his tale of dream invaders.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, all looking duly stylish,were introduced by their Sex and the City 2 writer-director Michael Patrick King, who joked, "The film is not in 3D--it's not even double D, but it's definitely interactive" and "a continuation of the party."
Watchmen and 300 director Zack Snyder showed the handsome trailer from his first animated feature, Legend of the Guardians, fromthe same animationhouse as Happy Feet. The young director hassix children, and thisproject is the answer to their question: "Daddy,can you make a movie we can see?"
GregBerlanti, executive producer of TV's "Brothers and Sisters" and "Everwood," previewed the trailer fromhis romantic comedy Life asWe Know It, andit looks likea surefire hit, with some solid laughs and realchemistry between his two extremely good-looking stars,Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel.
Last year, Todd Phillips previewed the trailer for The Hangover to a huge ovation, and this year he returned as ShoWest Director of the Year, with the trailer from his new film, Due Date, a road trip comedy pairing Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. With a debt to Planes, Trains and Automobiles, it looks like another hit for Phillips, who made the case that comedies need the big screen and a room full of laughing moviegoers as much as big event films. Downey and Galifianakis were also on hand, with the latter begging for his ShoWest Comedy Star of the Year trophy so he could go out and take advantage of some Vegas debauchery post-haste.
The Warner event concluded with an extended trailer from the final Harry Potter two-parter--insurance that the studio's box office will loom just as large in 2010.
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