The two panels prior were PlayStation 3: The Unfinished Swan and VIZ Media: Shonen Jump Alpha, both of which I knew nothing about prior to going and know very little about now. Can you tell that I'm less interested in the games and comics portion of Comic-Con and more interested in the television portion? I know, that probably makes me a bandwagon nerd, but at least I'm not one of those people who only shows up for Twilight, right?
Back to Bryan Fuller...
Before the panel started, this woman made an announcement that photography and recordings of any kind were not allowed and my heart broke a little inside. Obviously, recording the sneak peek materials is a no-no, but no pictures of the panelists?! Everyone around me was bummed but we obeyed. Too bad these press people totally ignored the request and were busy snapping away and getting in our way the whole time. I wanted to get my camera out, but I also feared getting removed from the panel so all I managed was a stealth phone picture.
Butch Patrick, as in the original Eddie Munster, introduced the panel with a lead into some clips from Mockingbird Lane, starring Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development), Jerry O'Connell (Sliders), and Eddie Izzard. Mockingbird Lane is a remake of the original Munsters series, written by Bryan Fuller who considers himself a huge fan of The Munsters. Mockingbird Lane is currently filming at Universal, and the clips they provided show a young Eddie Munster transform into a werewolf while on a scout camping trip. He proceeds to terrorize his scout troop. We also get a look inside the Munster house and meet the family. I have not seen much of the original Munsters, so I have nothing to compare the plot to, but the clips did have a fantasy/dreamy feel, heavy in red and green hues that remind me of some of Fuller's other work. There is also this element of comedy in the horror. Fuller proves himself to be great at making dark situations, light. He credits this to the fact that he spent a lot of time at funerals as a kid, and that the funerals were more of a celebration than a sad gathering.
After talk of Mockingbird Lane, Fuller followed up with a discussion on his other upcoming project, the TV series Hannibal. They didn't have any sneak peeks of this project, but Fuller did credit NBC with being fully supportive of the project and he talked of plans for future seasons as though there was no question as to whether or not the show would make it. It is amazing how optimistic he remains despite the early cancellation of Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me. According to IMDb Hannibal premieres mid-season in January.
Naturally, Pushing Daisies came up in the Q&A portion and Fuller hinted that he is working on something that is not a comic or a TV show that would give us another chance to see the Pie Maker in action. He wouldn't give more details because "Then if it doesn't happen, I look like a jerk!"
Have I mentioned lately how much I love Bryan Fuller?
After the panel concluded I had no problem whipping out my camera, but first I raced to the stage for an autograph. I had a straight shot to the stage, which worked to my advantage because even before I managed to ask for an autograph, the room security was pushing people out of the room, "No time for questions! Please clear the room for the next panel."
Mr. Fuller was amazingly nice and obliged my request to autograph my Wonderfalls DVDs as I stumbled to form a cohesive sentence. I think I managed "I'm a huge fan" as I shook his hand and tried not to burst with excitement. That is actually a near exact retelling of my meeting Joss Whedon last year, only I'm pretty sure the excitement for Bryan Fuller was much greater.
And then I snapped randomly as we were shoveled out of the room to make room for the next panel.
We also got free Hannibal t-shirts.
