Cows - and Roberto Orci - Promote Fringe in San Diego

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:30:16 PDT

A herd of cattle grazing in a parking lot probably isn't the weirdest thing I saw during Comic-Con, but it's not too far off. The dozen or so cows had a purpose, though, serving as a clue along the way during a Fringe-related scavenger hunt in San Diego.

If you've seen the Fringe pilot - which several thousand more people now have seen following the San Diego screenings - you'll get the cow thing, which also came up at TCA; if not, stay tuned for Fall. But cute (though smelly) as they were, the cows weren't the best thing I found in the parking lot. Nope, that would be Roberto Orci, Fringe (and Star Trek) writer and executive producer, who chatted with me briefly about what Comic-Con has meant for Fringe. The entire show actually has its roots in the convention, so to hear about that, just

read more. Last year, when Orci, JJ Abrams, and Alex Kurtzman were at Comic-Con to launch Star Trek, they were also kicking around ideas for a new TV series they hoped to do together. "We actually ended up staying an extra night here because we were so close to figuring out the exact story for Fringe," Orci said. "We like to say that the show in a way was conceived here." The timing wasn't the only reason: The three also combed Comic-Con booths looking for old '50s sci fi comics ("We grabbed a handful of them and realized they all cost like $20 and were like, 'Whoa! Actually, we'll charge it to Warner Bros, it's fine.'"), pulling out images that they could use as inspiration. On their last day in San Diego, they hammered out the outline for the show, writing it down on hotel stationery. A year later, they were back to screen the completed pilot widely for the first time. They weren't worried about getting the Fringe name out there - the show already has a powerful advertising campaign from Fox, Orci said, along with a plum time slot after House. Instead, they were there for feedback from bloggers and other convention-goers who had seen the pilot and wanted to talk about it. "It used to be called focus groups," Orci said. Far from the types who claim not to read their own press, Orci and the Fringe team devour it. "You can always learn more," he said. For those who have now seen the pilot, a few teasers from Orci to keep you coming back: We might find out more about Peter (Joshua Jackson) and his childhood - things maybe even Peter doesn't know. We might meet the head of Massive Dynamic, the maybe-good, maybe-evil corporation at the center of the story. And, despite Abrams's promises that Fringe won't be as confusing as, say, Alias, every episode will drop a little clue of some sort for the next.

Jon Favreau Brings Explosive Cowboys & Aliens Footage to WonderCon, Talks Up Its "Two Generations of Action Stars"

Shannon Vestal — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 17:57:13 PDT

WonderCon is in full effect here in San Francisco, and today I checked out another panel for an upcoming movie: Cowboys & Aliens. The actors in the film, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde, weren't able to attend, but directer Jon Favreau and producer Roberto Orci gave the crowd a lot to be excited about. They spilled details about the Western-meets-alien-invasion action flick, and showed the audience several minutes of footage, which definitely improved upon the teaser we saw a few months ago. Check out the most scintillating bits from the panel below.

Favreau kicked off the panel by saying how grateful he was for events like Comic-Con and WonderCon. Because of the support of the fans, he says that the conventions remain a priority, and that he is "very grateful for what you guys have done for my career."
Favreau complimented star Daniel Craig, calling him an "awesome, professional, great dude." Craig was ideal for the movie because Favreau admired his work in Layer Cake and the Bond films, saying that he's "sort of a vulnerable but really badass hero."
As for the film's other huge star, Harrison Ford, Orci admitted that they never thought he would agree to the film. The victory in getting Ford, Favreau said, is that he is "bringing this entire history" to the movie, and alongside Craig, they have "two generations of action stars."
Favreau is excited about the mashup of the Western genre with the aliens, noting that "the fun isn't in making fun of the fact that they're in a Western," but that the fun is in the alien presence "blowing their minds."
Although Favreau frequently cameos in the movies he directs, he doesn't appear in Cowboys & Aliens. The funny reason for it, he said, is because Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane made fun of him for wanting to!