Arnold Schwarzenegger took the stage at the Coliseum in Caesars Place in Vegas backed by a colorful light display, blue spotlights, and thunderous applause. Schwarzenegger kicked off Paramount Pictures’ presentation of its upcoming slate of films by saying, “I told you I’ll be back!” Wearing his iconic Terminator sunglasses and leather jacket, Arnold joked that Paramount Pictures’ Vice Chairman Rob Moore wouldn’t let him make the grand entrance he envisioned.
Schwarzenegger said Moore said no to his idea of coming into the Coliseum via helicopter, and also squashed his request to take to the stage on a motorcycle. Arnold wasn’t even allowed to enter riding on a chariot surrounded by showgirls because that idea’s already been scooped up by Floyd Mayweather who’ll be taking on Manny Pacquiao in just a couple of weeks.
Before showing off 12 minutes of footage from Terminator Genisys, Schwarzenegger had members of the National Association of Theater Owners laughing after declaring the first three Terminator films (the ones he was involved with) are the only ones that count. Arnold promised NATO members big box office results for his new Terminator film, saying this first installment in a planned trilogy was something he would not have been involved with if he had any questions about its ability to recapture the Terminator look and feel.
Thanking his co-stars, Paramount, and theater owners for their support, Schwarzenegger introduced the new footage which was not the final shots as visual effects are still being worked on. And after the lights came up, Schwarzenegger left the stage by saying, “I told you it would kick ass!”
The Paramount CinemaCon presentation also included Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon Pegg who were at the event in support of the upcoming MI film, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Cruise and company were met with enthusiastic applause, and Cruise was obviously touched by the show of support. He thanked NATO members for four decades of support and then lavished praise on his co-stars, saying that Ferguson has an incredible screen presence and both she and Pegg were pleasures to work with. He also talked about collaborating once again with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, and how he can’t believe it’s been 20 years since he first played Ethan Hunt. Cruise promised the new film “has a tremendous amount of action” but will also have intrigue and plenty of twists.
After unveiling two action-packed clips as well as a montage from Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Cruise and Rob Moore took the stage for a little behind-the-scenes talk about the scene in the new MI movie featuring Cruise on the outside of a plane. While you might assume it was done via CG/green screen, the fact is Cruise actually clung to the plane after researching the best way to make the shot work safely. Special lenses were made for his eyes and he had a simple harness holding him in place. But the risks were real and he was even hit by a particle flung up by the plane and he thought he’d broken his ribs (he couldn’t wear extra padding because it would have bulked up his costume).
The crew and Cruise also had to make sure the area was clear of birds as he was clinging to the plane as it rose 5,000 feet. Cruise joked that he had to also remember to act and to be aware of the camera angles, all while being scared sh*tless.
Cruise, Schwarzenegger, Ferguson, and Pegg made the trek to Vegas in person, however, Star Trek 3 director Justin Lin and producer JJ Abrams, and Zoolander 2‘s director/star Ben Stiller couldn’t attend and so they sent along pre-recorded videos. The Lin/Abrams video was short and met with polite applause while Stiller’s video added some much-appreciated humor to the CinemaCon presentation. Stiller greeted the members of NATO and the CinemaCon attendees as Derek Zoolander, thanking everyone for attending “Comic-Con” in either of his two favorite cities: New York or San Diego.
Zoolander showed off his new patented pose and guaranteed this new look at this life will knock the multi off of our plexes. He also promised it would bomb…” but not like a bad bomb.” In addition, he confirmed Milla Jovovich will be back for Zoolander 2. Wishing everyone at Comic-Con well, he said to have fun at the Bronx Zoo or Sea World – “Even though they’re not very nice to the whales.”
Other tidbits from Paramount’s presentation:
– The first footage from the Mark Wahlberg/Will Ferrell Daddy’s Home was screened, with the audience eating it up.
– Scary movies in the works include Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, the new edition of the Paranormal Activity franchise, and Rings (from The Ring franchise).
– Michael Bay’s 13 Hours will be Paramount’s first 2016 film.
– Ben Hur is not a remake but will follow the novel, and Moore says it’s an “action-packed epic.”
– Michael Bay and Megan Fox will reunite for Ninja Turtles II which is aiming for a June 3, 2016 theatrical release.
– Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, and Christian Bale are confirmed for The Big Short, currently shooting in New Orleans.
