Netflix followed up tonight's Death Note panel at SDCC with a second panel focused on their next original film, Bright. Unlike Death Note, Bright appears to have all of the pieces in place for a blockbuster movie. Will Smith and Joel Edgerton are reuniting with their Suicide Squad director David Ayer, for a story that unites fantasy with a contemporary Los Angeles cop drama. Both Smith and Edgerton got a big reception from the Comic-Con crowd, as they joined Ayer, cast members Lucy Fry, Noomi Rapace, and Edgar Ramirez and moderator Terry Crews.
In the first trailer for the film, we meet Smith’s character, Scott Ward, a police officer who beats a fairy to death in full view of his neighbors after it repeatedly causes mischief on his lawn. Ward is soon partnered up with Edgerton’s Nick Jakoby, the first Orc to serve on the LAPD. Over the course of the trailer, they come across an elf girl named Tikka (Fry), who has stolen a powerful magic wand from Rapace’s elf villain. As Smith later noted, it is “rated R grime smashed with Lord of the Rings.” Smith was also beyond excited to explore racial issues through the lens of fantasy, and noted that his character shows prejudice against Jakoby.
As Edgerton described it, it is impossible not to transform “when someone puts a couch on your face.” He said that Jakoby wants to be as human as he can possibly be and he doesn’t really understand human humor. Rapace was praised for her intense preparation for the role, which included fight training, gun training, and how to move in high heels in addition to wearing elf contact lens and teeth. Rapace loves her character, and says that she only seems evil. She is actually trying to create something beautiful, and is just going about it in a very dark way. Later in the panel, it was revealed that the magic wand that was stolen by Tikka was actually grown in the arm of Rapace’s character.
In this world, Elves are at the top of the food chain, or the 1%, while humans are the middle men, and orcs are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Ayer was effusive about the support that Netflix gave him, in terms of funding and creative freedom.
The next preview scene took place in a convenience store as Rapace’s character and her allies cornered Ward, Jakoby, and Tikka. Even in the smaller setting, the large budget for this film was apparent.
Ayer pointed out that this movie takes itself seriously and isn’t a farce. He added that Bright was a fantastic opportunity to offer social commentary through a lens that people will accept, because otherwise they don’t want to hear about the real issues.
Smith offered up praise for Fry’s performance and jokingly noted that she was too young to have watched him as the Fresh Prince on TV. When asked about his attraction to genre roles, Smith cited Star Wars as his call to action. He said it blew his mind, “sex was close, but no Star Wars.” He went on to add that when was starring as the Fresh Prince, people on the street would call him “Will.” After Independence Day, he said that began to be addressed by “Mr. Smith.” He believes that the larger stage of cinema immediately changed the perception around him. He also spoke about being at the forefront of the change that Neflix is building, with a major project like Bright that could have easily opened in theaters.
At the end of the panel, Ayer praised Max Landis’ script once again, and at Smith’s insistence, the trailer was played again.
Bright will debut on Netflix in December.
You can follow Blair Marnell on Twitter @BlairMarnell.
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