News From Comic-Con: The HBO True Blood Event
July/24/08 22:56 Filed in: Promotion
The San Diego Comic-Con panel for HBO's "True Blood" took place Thursday afternoon between 4:30 and 5:30 Pacific time and reports are now coming in. Here is a quick summary of the event.
In Attendance were Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris.
The moderator for the panel was Entertainment Weekly’s Lynette Rice.
Panel Description: “Based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is created by Alan Ball, creator of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Six Feet Under. The series takes place in the not-too-distant future, when, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires no longer need humans for their fix and can walk freely, if not yet comfortably, among their living counterparts. With their integration into a small Louisiana town causing a stir, a love story ensues between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, the X-Men films; Academy Award winner for The Piano), an innocent waitress with the unusual ability to read minds, and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer, The Starter Wife). The series also features Ryan Kwanten (Summerland), Rutina Wesley (How She Move), Sam Trammell (Judging Amy), and Nelsan Ellis (The Inside). True Blood debuts September 7 exclusively on HBO. Room 6CDEF ”
*A trailer was prepared and played specifically for Comic-Con.
*They have only three more days of shooting for this season.
*The first season follows the first book with only slight transgressions beyond.
*Alan Ball says that the biggest challenge has been expanding the show’s universe beyond the book serie,s given they are told from Sookie’s point of view.
*The relationship between Sookie and Bill will be the centerpeice of the series.
*Alan Ball promises to avoid the vampire cliches of “blue light, contact lenses and opera music”.
*Alan Ball was tight lipped when asked if the book character “Bubba” would be in the series.
*Alan Ball says it’s a show about relationships, not just vampires.
*When asked if there was going to be a real Tru Blood beverage, Alan Ball answered “V8, Valium, Vicodin and Viagra”
*Alan Ball doesn’t have time to go online and worry about fan reaction. He’s respectful but won’t cater to them.
*We don’t learn why Sookie is telepathic this season.
*Sookie has remained a virgin because of her “disability”.
*Aside from working at Merlotte’s, Lafayette runs an adult website.
*When vampire blood is used as a drug in the series, the effects are different with each person.
*The vampire Eric will be introduced later in the season as part of the setup for season 2.
*Stephen Moyer tries to be ‘very still’ when playing Bill. Since there’s no heartbeat, there’s no extraneous or unintended movements.
*Ryan Kwanten lost all of his inhibitions after playing Jason Stackhouse.
*Sam Trammellwas drawn to the role because his family’s from LA.
*Nelsan Ellis loves playing a character without boundaries.
*Alan Ball doesn’t feel there’s need for competition with different vampire projects like Twilight, though Charlaine says they could take ‘em.
*Alan doesn’t have a rule on whether the cast should read ahead in the Southern Vampire novels. Anna has read the first three, for a better understanding of her character.
*Alan Ball ends the discussion by revealing that “ I wanted to do something fun and so far I’ve had more fun working on this series than anything else in my career.”
Did you attend Comic-Con? I’d love to hear of your experience and post your photos. Let me know.
Meanwhile, don’t forget about our Tru Blood Beverage Give-Away!
In Attendance were Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris.
The moderator for the panel was Entertainment Weekly’s Lynette Rice.
Panel Description: “Based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is created by Alan Ball, creator of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Six Feet Under. The series takes place in the not-too-distant future, when, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires no longer need humans for their fix and can walk freely, if not yet comfortably, among their living counterparts. With their integration into a small Louisiana town causing a stir, a love story ensues between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, the X-Men films; Academy Award winner for The Piano), an innocent waitress with the unusual ability to read minds, and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer, The Starter Wife). The series also features Ryan Kwanten (Summerland), Rutina Wesley (How She Move), Sam Trammell (Judging Amy), and Nelsan Ellis (The Inside). True Blood debuts September 7 exclusively on HBO. Room 6CDEF ”
*A trailer was prepared and played specifically for Comic-Con.
*They have only three more days of shooting for this season.
*The first season follows the first book with only slight transgressions beyond.
*Alan Ball says that the biggest challenge has been expanding the show’s universe beyond the book serie,s given they are told from Sookie’s point of view.
*The relationship between Sookie and Bill will be the centerpeice of the series.
*Alan Ball promises to avoid the vampire cliches of “blue light, contact lenses and opera music”.
*Alan Ball was tight lipped when asked if the book character “Bubba” would be in the series.
*Alan Ball says it’s a show about relationships, not just vampires.
*When asked if there was going to be a real Tru Blood beverage, Alan Ball answered “V8, Valium, Vicodin and Viagra”
*Alan Ball doesn’t have time to go online and worry about fan reaction. He’s respectful but won’t cater to them.
*We don’t learn why Sookie is telepathic this season.
*Sookie has remained a virgin because of her “disability”.
*Aside from working at Merlotte’s, Lafayette runs an adult website.
*When vampire blood is used as a drug in the series, the effects are different with each person.
*The vampire Eric will be introduced later in the season as part of the setup for season 2.
*Stephen Moyer tries to be ‘very still’ when playing Bill. Since there’s no heartbeat, there’s no extraneous or unintended movements.
*Ryan Kwanten lost all of his inhibitions after playing Jason Stackhouse.
*Sam Trammellwas drawn to the role because his family’s from LA.
*Nelsan Ellis loves playing a character without boundaries.
*Alan Ball doesn’t feel there’s need for competition with different vampire projects like Twilight, though Charlaine says they could take ‘em.
*Alan doesn’t have a rule on whether the cast should read ahead in the Southern Vampire novels. Anna has read the first three, for a better understanding of her character.
*Alan Ball ends the discussion by revealing that “ I wanted to do something fun and so far I’ve had more fun working on this series than anything else in my career.”
Did you attend Comic-Con? I’d love to hear of your experience and post your photos. Let me know.
Meanwhile, don’t forget about our Tru Blood Beverage Give-Away!
