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    Netflix makes Hall H debut with big budget Will Smith pic

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1710 Views
    Will Smith reacts at the Netflix Films' "Bright" panel on day one of Comic-Con International on Thursday, July 20, 2017, in San Diego. (Photo by Al Powers/Invision/AP)

    By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer

    SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) --

    Imagine "End of Watch" but with orcs and fairies and magic. That's the vibe of Will Smith's big budget Netflix film "Bright ," which unveiled its first full trailer Thursday in a presentation at Comic-Con.

    The film reunites Smith with his "Suicide Squad" director David Ayer and takes audiences to a gritty Los Angeles setting where two police officers, one human (Smith) and one orc (Joel Edgerton) have to contend with some mythical, evil forces plaguing the city. Noomi Rapace and Edgar Ramirez also star.

    It was the Hall H debut for the streaming service, which brought out Smith, Edgerton, Ayer and the film's other stars to charm the 6,500 super fans in attendance and get them excited about the $90 million movie, which makes its Netflix debut on Dec. 22.

    Ayer said "Bright" is not some "standard issue PG-13 movie."

    "I was able to do some real (expletive)," Ayer said. "I was able to tell a real story. I was able to do my thing."

    He praised Netflix for its support.

    Smith said the film has the hard "rated-R grind of 'Training Day'" mashed up with "Lord of the Rings."

    His character is stuck with the force's first orc cop, which Smith said gave him a rare character opportunity: to be racist.

    "You never get to be racist when you're black," Smith said. "You're like, 'Look man, I don't want no orcs in my car.'"

    Smith is just the latest A-list movie star to try his luck doing a big film with Netflix and has made waves in Hollywood with his support of the service.

    "There is a difference between seeing a movie in a theater and seeing it on Netflix," Smith conceded, but added that he is "really excited" to see "whatever this new wave of entertainment is going to be."

    Netflix also trotted out the director and cast of its upcoming film horror pic "Death Note," which some Comic-Con attendees will get to see in full Thursday night before its Aug. 25 Netflix launch.

    Based on the manga series of the same name "Death Note" follows a high school student (Nat Wolff) who discovers a supernatural notebook that grants him the power to decide who dies and how. All he has to do is write a name and a method in the notebook and the Willem Dafoe-voiced demon Ryuk carries out the grim task.

    Netflix is just one of a few studios previewing films for audiences at the annual fan convention. Earlier on Thursday, Fox showed footage from "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" and on Saturday the comic book giants DC and Marvel will go head-to-head with lengthy presentations.

    Comic-Con runs through Sunday.
     

     

    Tags:BrightComic-ConDavid AyerNetflixWill Smith



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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