There aren't many moderators at New York Comic Con who receive an ovation comparable to the movie stars they're interviewing, but Chris Hardwick, of Nerdist fame, is one of them. Late in the afternoon on Friday Hardwick sat down with Michael Keaton and Edward Norton to discuss their upcoming movie, Birdman.
The film, which was described separately by all three guests in equally confusing and ambiguous ways has Keaton playing an actor beat known for his run as Birdman in a popular movie franchise. Now, years later, he is directing and starring in a play but he can't escape the influence of the character on both himself and his fans.
Now that description sounds pretty straightforward, but one look at any of the film's footage and it's clear that this movie is a complex and trippy movie. The panel showed the first ten minutes of Birdman as well as a few additional scenes to conventioneers and it definitely piqued their interest. The film opens with Keaton levitating in his dressing room wearing nothing but his tighty whiteys. So let that set the scene.
With Keaton and Norton being comic book film alums, they seemed like a pairing tailor made for Comic Con, but the discussion had a different tone than the day's other panels. There was very little geeking out from the crowd, even when Keaton told a story about when he met with Tim Burton to discuss starring in Batman. Instead Keaton and Norton led each other into descriptions of the rehearsal process for the film and their combined love for the script and director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, which drew them to the project.
But for film buffs, this was a great look into a film that promises to stand out as one of the year's most unique. All three on stage claim it to be one of the best of the year too, but that may just be rhetoric.
The artists formerly known as Batman and The Hulk made sure it was clear to the loyal fans that they still have respect for the comic book genre, even though the film does have some criticism of it. Both even left things open to potentially playing a superhero again one day if the role is right. According to them their superhero pasts didn't play a part in wanting to be involved in Birdman. Even if that were a lie, New York Comic Con wouldn't have been the place to admit any negative feelings on adapting the comic personas.
Birdman is scheduled for an October 17th release.
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