'Prometheus' At WonderCon: Ridley Scott On Making More Sci-Fi Movies, The Complications Of CGI, Fassbender On How To Play A Robot

WonderCon may not command the same audience as Comic-Con, but that doesn't mean its without its fair share of powerhouse panels. Point in case: Prometheus, the full trailer for which has now been made available online, as have some other goodies.

But wait, there's more!

Headlining the film's panel were co-writer Damon Lindelof, director Ridley Scott, and Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender. As is typical with Con Q&A sessions, there was a good deal of fluff, but we've filtered all of that out for your reading pleasure.

In the midst of a question about the differences between working with CGI and practical effects, Ridley Scott began to delve into what he learned from his experience on Prometheus, but not before interjecting that he plans to make another science fiction film "as soon as possible."

Will that next science fiction film be a sequel to Prometheus? He hinted as much earlier in the panel, mentioning that, "If we're lucky, maybe there will be a second part to all of this. Because the film really does leave you with some really nice, big, open questions."

Back to the topic at hand, Ridley explained that the freedom of digital animation actually "makes the challenge even more difficult" — not in terms of craft, but in terms of competition. The action and science fiction genres have become overstuffed, since digitally, "you can do anything you want", compared to Scott's early days on Alien where they just used a very tall man in a rubber suit.

Scott says that it all comes down to a baseline contest of, "How original are you going to be?"

And if Fassbender is to be believed, Prometheus might win. When asked what drew him to the project, he mentioned how "each page, there was something new and there was something unexplained. You could never put your finger on it."

For those who don't know, Fassbender plays David, an android who's sort of a butler that serves the aircraft and the crew. In preparation for the role, Scott encouraged him to check out The Servant with Dirk Bogarde, among other films. Fassbender, meanwhile, saught inspiration elsewhere, weirdly looking to the humorous qualities and "economy of movement" of diver Greg Louganis.

This extends further to the "heart" of the character, so to speak, which has David confronting his understanding of humans. "Would that start to manifest itself in other forms? Would he start to develop his own personality traits and ego and insecurities? All the fun human stuff."

When watching Prometheus, Fassbender wants you to continually ask yourself, "Is this guy taking the piss, or is he for real?"

That's it for highlights from the Prometheus panel. Stay tuned for more coverage of our WonderCon coverage throughout the day.