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Monday, July 17, 2017

WARNER BROS. PICTURES GETS READY TO RUN THE GAMUT AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO

Warner Bros. Pictures brings some of its biggest films and brightest stars to this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego. The announcement was made today by Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, who stated, “Every year we look forward to Comic-Con and every year we—along with our wonderful actors and filmmakers—eagerly share our enthusiasm for the upcoming Warner Bros. slate. Coming off the success we’re enjoying with ‘Wonder Woman,’ we are more excited than ever to interact with the fans, thank them for their ongoing support, and give them a taste of the incredible films we have for them in the coming months and into 2018.”

On Saturday, July 22, beginning at 11:30 a.m., Warner Bros. will light up Hall H with a presentation showcasing some of its eagerly awaited upcoming releases, with exclusive footage and revealing conversations, helmed by master of ceremonies Chris Hardwick. The lineup includes:

• Director Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” based on the hugely popular Ernest Cline novel, with stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke and T.J. Miller, author/co-screenwriter Cline, co-screenwriter Zak Penn, and Spielberg on the panel;

• The long-awaited “Blade Runner 2049,” Alcon Entertainment’s sequel to the cult classic takes us 30 more years into the future, with stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, as well as Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Lennie James and Mackenzie Davis, writers Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, and the film’s director, Denis Villeneuve;

• And the greatest Super Heroes of the DC universe, united for the first time on the big screen, with stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher talking all things “Justice League,” as well as an early look at director James Wan’s “Aquaman.”


In addition to the Hall H presentation, Warner Bros. will host several activities and activations throughout the convention and around the town. Starting things off on Wednesday, July 19, the Studio will frighten fans with a screening of “Annabelle: Creation,” the newest feature in New Line Cinema’s “Conjuring” horror-verse, which debuted out of the Los Angeles Film Festival with a score of 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The screening will take place at the Westfield Horton Plaza and will be followed by a Q&A with director David F. Sandberg and stars Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson and Anthony LaPaglia.

Keeping the scares going strong, on Thursday the 20th and through the weekend, brave fans can hop on the creepiest school bus in town: an “IT”-inspired virtual reality installation that will have them skipping school for the foreseeable future. The bus and FLOAT: A Cinematic VR Experience will be located at the Interactive Zone across from Petco Park—no badge required.

On Thursday evening, attend a panel for “The LEGO® NINJAGO® Movie” in the convention hall’s room 6A, with stars Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Abbi Jacobson, Olivia Munn, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña and Zach Woods and producer Dan Lin. Attendees will receive an exclusive, movie-themed giveaway. And for an hour each day during the convention, fans looking for a good stretch before standing in their next line can head to the lawn at the Omni Hotel to participate in “NINJOGA,” a tai chi/yoga-like workout for the ninja in everyone. The class begins at 10 a.m., Thursday through Sunday.

Also launching on Thursday, and open through Sunday, is the Blade Runner 2049 Experience, an immense, immersive and interactive multimedia installation that replicates the film’s environment. It will be positioned outside of the Convention proper in the Gaslamp Quarter—no badge necessary.

And finally, following the Hall H presentation on Saturday, fans can hit the convention floor for talent signings in the Warner Bros. and DC booths, starting at approximately 12:15 p.m.


About “Ready Player One”
From filmmaker Steven Spielberg comes the science fiction action adventure “Ready Player One,” based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name, which has become a worldwide phenomenon. The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday. When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger. Spielberg directed the film from a screenplay by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline. The film was produced by Spielberg, Donald De Line, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Dan Farah; with Adam Somner, Daniel Lupi, Chris DeFaria and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers. It stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn and T.J. Miller, with Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance. Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment present, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, an Amblin Production, a De Line Pictures Production, a Steven Spielberg Film, “Ready Player One.” Slated for release on March 30, 2018, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

About “Blade Runner 2049”
From director Denis Villeneuve comes Alcon Entertainment’s science fiction thriller “Blade Runner 2049,” the much-anticipated sequel to the acclaimed sci-fi film “Blade Runner.” Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, and Lennie James, with Dave Bautista and Jared Leto. The film was produced by Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson and Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Yorkin. Ridley Scott, who directed the first “Blade Runner,” served as an executive producer, together with Tim Gamble, Frank Giustra, Yale Badick, Val Hill, and Bill Carraro. Villeneuve directed the film from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, story by Fancher, based on characters from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Opening on October 6, 2017, in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX, “Blade Runner 2049” is a presentation of Alcon Entertainment and will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and internationally by Sony Pictures Entertainment. www.bladerunnermovie.com

About “Aquaman”
Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “Aquaman” is helmed by James Wan and stars Jason Momoa in the title role, returning to the character he plays in this fall’s “Justice League.” The film also stars Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, with Patrick Wilson, and Nicole Kidman. The film is being produced by Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Rob Cowan, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. An icon for over 75 years, Aquaman is known by fans of DC Comics as the ruler of Atlantis but committed to protecting the entire globe, both land and sea. Currently set for a 2018 release, the film is based on characters from DC.

About “Justice League”
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes “Justice League,” directed by Zack Snyder and starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, and Ray Fisher as the famed lineup of DC Super Heroes. Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound



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