More from Comic Con (Now With Video!)
Wow, True Blood is all over Comic Con! So far we’ve attended the panel, met the cast and Alan and Charlaine, scored signed posters and comic books and a swag bag, signed a petition for Vampire Rights, and taken photos of the banners and posters up at the convention center. Tomorrow there’s a masquerade ball sponsored by Tru Blood and rumors of other goodies we’ll be tracking down. Meanwhile, here’s a report from the panel and the signing:
The Panel
- Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress in a smalltown diner
- Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton, the vampire Sookie falls for
- Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman, a thousand-year-old vampire Viking
- Ryan Kwanten as Sookie’s brother Jason Stackhouse
- Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte, owner of Merlotte’s where Sookie works
- Rutina Wesley as Tara Thornton, Sookie’s best friend
- Jim Parrack as Hoyt Fortenberry
- Chris Bauer as detective Andy Bellefleur
- Nelsan Ellis as Sookie’s coworker Lafayette Reynolds
- Lynn Collins as Dawn Green, Jason Stackhouse’s love interest
- William Sanderson as Bud Dearborne
- Lorin McCraley as a Grabbit Quick Clerk
Season 1 will be sticking to the events of the first novel in the series, “Dead Until Dark”, but will also incorporate characters from some of the later books. Bubba, Eric, and Quinn will show up later in the series – and Charlaine says Quinn “personal homage to Vin Diesel.”
The panel was obsessed with vampire sex, specifically “fangbangers” (humans who have sex with vampires). Also, Alan Ball revealed what’s in Tru Blood: V8, Valium, Vicodin and Viagra. Heh.
Anna has read some of the books and thinks it’s very helpful to have that source material available to her so she has much more insight to the character. Charlaine revealed that she’s working on the ninth Sookie book right now.
When asked if it came to a showdown between Twilight‘s Cullens family and the vamps at Fangtasia, Charlaine Harris doesn’t disappoint her fans. “If it came to a Cullen Family-Fangtasia smackdown, I think the Fangtasia staff would win.” That’s our Charlaine!
They finish shooting season 1 next week, so it will be wrapped before it premieres on September 7.
The Signing
We got word that the cast plus Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris would be signing at the Warner Bros. booth, so we hotfooted it over there and got in line. After about 30 minutes, the line started to move and before long, we were face to face with Charlaine Harris. Total fangirl moment there as I (Claudine) gushed over every single series she’s written (seriously, check out the Grave series if nothing else). She seemed pleased to hear from someone who’d not only read the Sookie books but some of her other series. She graciously signed our posters and comic books and we moved down the line to Alan Ball. Pam introduced us and mentioned our site, to which he replied, “I’ve been to your site! You’re doing a great job.” Wow!
Up next was Sookie herself, Anna Paquin. She happily signed our items and said she hoped we enjoyed the show as much as the books. Stephen Moyer greeted us in his gorgeous English accent before kissing Pam’s hand. Add Ryan Kwanten and Sam Trammell to the mix and we were on serious swoon alert; the boys of True Blood are not just hot, they’re also nice and really excited about their show. Rutina Wesley and Nelson Ellis rounded out the signing group, telling everyone to be sure to watch the show.
Updated 07.26.08: Thanks to Jess who sent in this clip from KPBS featuring several minutes of the True Blood panel:
