It may not be the biggest name of the films at this year’s Comic-Con, but Skyline hopes to follow the success of films like District 9 and Cloverfield, aiming for a viral marketing-driven film without big name stars. Similar to those films, Skyline was made independent from studios.
In attendance for the Comic Con panel were the directors, the Strause Brothers (Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) and stars Eric Balfour (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), 24), Donald Faison (Scrubs) and Scottie Thompson (Trauma) with David Zayas (Dexter) offering a surprise appearance.
The special effects wizards (all CGI was done in-house) gave the audience two clips, one featuring Faison and Balfour as people shooting at lights in the sky as a mothership comes from the clouds. The other was a special effects shot with aliens sucking up human bodies, made before any film footage was shot which even surprised the actors.
The Strause Brothers played their cards close to their chest and did not reveal much in plot detail, adding to the mystery of the film and likely what they hope will be a solid viral marketing campaign. They did mention how much of the film was shot in one of their homes.
The brothers confessed that green screen made filming the special effects scenes easy, allowing them to make exactly what they wanted and make organic-looking spaceships. Brett Ratner was so impressed with the finished film that he bought up the rights to Skyline, adding to the Cloverfield/District 9 vibe of having a big name producer. Plus, it helps the Strause Brothers worked with Ratner on X-Men: The Last Stand.
But there is a big different between the likes of J.J. Abrams and Peter Jackson compared to Ratner: Abrams and Jackson are good at their jobs.
But it wasn’t all business: the Strause brothers were friendly enough and did not get much trouble from the audience because of their experience with Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Faison was able to joke about his role in Josie and the Pussycats when prompted by a little girl in the audience.
Skyline will be released in cinemas on November 12.
