X Files 2 NYCC Panel

By Ron Henriques on April 19, 2008

A gravely ill family member and other duties prevent me from fully covering the 2008 New York Comic-Con the way I'd like to, but I managed to attend an 'X-Files 2' panel as well as snap a photo or two.  It's easy to get lost amongst the many dealers and exhibitors at the Jacob J. Javits convention center, but luckily I know my way around like the back of my hand.  (Hey, where did this mole on my wrist come from?)
 
Sadly, none of the major studios chose to set up booths at the convention, despite the fact that the biggest tent pole releases this year are comic oriented.  New Line Cinema had a listing on the floor chart, but was no where to be found which figures because pretty soon, they'll really be no where to be found.  If you're looking for merchandise tied in to upcoming film releases, the best booths to hit were those that has licensing agreements with the studios.  Marvel and DC comics all have films based on their comic creations hitting theaters, but sadly they were pretty lame.  Even a seven foot tall mock-up of the Ed Norton version of 'The Incredible Hulk' failed to impress.  Dark Horse comics had some interesting banners featuring artwork promoting tie-ins to 'Hellboy II' and the new 'Indiana Jones', but were partially obscured, preventing me from taking a decent photo.
 

Grown men still play with toys (they just won't admit it), which is why there is a market for figures or statues of comic book characters.  Kotobukiya had some nice Star Wars, Harry Potter and Indiana Jones prototypes, but I was more impressed by DC Direct's finished figures for the upcoming Warner Bros. films 'The Dark Knight' and 'Watchman'.  Some photos of the 'Watchman' figures hit the net earlier this week, but this is the first time I'm seeing 'Silk Spectre' and 'Ozymandias'.

 
Tonight the big event in the IGN theater was a presentation for 'The X-Files: I Want to Believe' featuring a panel Q&A with creator's Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter.  Though fans began to seat early for this one, I was more entertained by the previous panel featuring the legendary Ralph Baskshi and the authors of a new biography 'Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi.'  At seventy, Bakshi is still a genius and such a force of nature that he blew up at the evening's moderator for mistakenly suggesting that his 1975 film 'Coonskin' was met by controversy and protests.  A tried and true New Yorker, Bakshi revealed how the authors, two of his former students, called him out of the blue requesting artwork for a biography he never authorized or would be compensated for.  He was jovial, he was funny and even discussed his admiration for Barack Obama and how he loathed 'swindlers' like Al Sharpton for not supporting him.  "Make sure you get your facts straight," he told a young woman in the audience, "or you'll elect another Bush to office."
 
After Bakshi left the stage, the lights dimmed and the 'X-Files' presentation began.  What really angered me was that the presentation of the film's teaser trailer was poor video quality.  It's bad enough that like the teaser trailer for the first film, many of the quick shots thrown at us look like grainy black and white surveillance video footage before we hear that familiar theme.  Then there is more rapid fire imagery, much of it seen on the net before that includes teams of FBI agents in the snow and agents with guns drawn reacting to something horrific before we see a long awaited exchange between two familiar faces in an autopsy room.

 
Mulder: I need you on this with me.
 
Scully: And that's what scares me.
 
There are a few more rapid fire shots including Mulder getting tossed around in a moving car, Billy Connelly's mysterious priest falling to his knees in the snow and an FBI agent with gun drawn who looks a hell of a lot like that rapper from 'Pimp My Ride'.
 
The last thing we hear is Connelly's voice asking Mulder:  "So you believe in these kinds of things?"
 
Mulder: "Let's just say I want to believe."
 
Wow, what a way to throw the film's subtitle in there without actually showing us a logo or really anything interesting from the film for that matter.
 
Even worse was the fact that although Carter and Spotnitz took the stage to great applause, they basically used a motto of the FBI, which is "deny, deny, deny."  They deflected all of the moderator's questions involving the film and basically said it was a stand alone story not connected to the mythology of the TV series.  Gee thanks guys, we knew that already.
 
I must admit that Carter and Spotnitz do truly love their fans and want the film to be full of surprises once it hits July 25 and immediately took questions from audience members who basically formed one long line.  Carter told a brief story about a young woman who told him her father truly enjoyed their show during the last and most difficult year of his life before revealing to him she was Dina Martin daughter of the great Dean.
 
When asked if the dvd will feature "unrated" footage, the two raised eyebrows over what type of footage did the fan mean, but revealed they were still editing the movie and that perhaps some deleted scenes would be included.
 
Spotnitz: "Actually when the blu ray comes out it will be very, very cool.  I had no idea what you could do with blu ray."
 
Here's to hoping that Fox will release the 1998 film in this hi-def format as well.
 
The two also revealed that yes, Mulder is the father of Scully's baby and that unlike the last movie the story did not involve a government conspiracy.  It takes place right now and current events will be part of the backdrop.
 
When asked by a fan would they consider bringing the series back to TV Carter stated: "Probably not, besides David is now employed by one of the cable networks (Showtime's 'Californication').
 
The X-Files will indeed continue through other mediums and Spotnitz actually let it slip that "DC Comics will be announcing tomorrow that a new comic book series will be released based on The X-Files."
 
What do they hope millions of fans take away from this film?
 
Spotnitz: Hope!
 
Carter: The trash under your seat.
 
For fans of the classic episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" we'll never find out what the psychic meant by 'You don't" when Scully said she wanted to know how she dies because Peter Boyle who played Bruckman had passed away.
 
When asked about the rumor of the steamy love scene between Mulder and Scully that Duchovny and Anderson supposedly wanted cut out they chuckled that it was in there, but its unclear whether they were serious or not.
 
Is Frank Black (Lance Henrikson) from the spin-off 'Millennium' in the film?  Sadly no, but Carter has spoken to Henrikson and wants to work with him again.
 
Are the 'Lone Gunmen' in the film?  Carter: "No comment"
 
Is Mitch Pilleggi aka Agent Skinner in the film.  Spotnitz: "Yeah he's in that steamy love scene!"
 
When asked about the film's subtitle 'I Want to Believe", Carter took credit because he originally came up with it for that infamous poster in Mulder's office.  It was always the title for the film and the story is brand new and not an idea they had for a series episode.  Spotnitz revealed that when they got the greenlight for the picture and sat down with the publicity department, they told them: "We don't want  a lot of hype, we just want to make a good movie. Let's keep it quiet and then start promoting it a little before the movie opens.  Unfortunately, as you can see, that's not the case.  There is tremendous anticipation for this movie and that's because of you, the fans."
 
One fan wanted to know about any new characters introduced in the film and the two mentioned comeidian Billy Connelly, who isn't playing funny in this one, as well as Amanda Peet and Xzibit as two FBI agents.
 
Spotnitz: "Yeah, Xzibit's playing the guy from 'Pimp My Ride".
 
The best question of the night though had to be one of the last:
 
"Did you read any internet fan fiction as inspiration for your steamy love scene?"
 
Carter: "You know this is a PG-13 movie?"



Leave it to Chris Carter to participate in an X-Files panel on a full moon night here in New York.  He and Spotnitz not only asked the Q&A to go on a bit longer, but took photos of fans taking photos of them.  Basically we were shown everything and nothing and told nothing, leaving not a bitter aftertaste but anticipation for what could be a really exciting summer movie.  I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to hearing Mark Snow's creepy theme one more time in a movie theater.

Source:Latino Review

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