New footage was revealed today for Wanted at the film’s panel at the New York Comic Con.
Wanted is based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar, and one of the issues fans of the book have with the film is that the use of costumes was dropped. Director Timur Bekmambetov said the release for this is that he thought it would be better to show how the characters are on the inside, as opposed to having the costumes define them.
The director said removing the costumes makes the characters more real and “makes them real super assassins.” More importantly, it keeps their identities secret. “If they are in costume,” said Bekmambetov, “then everyone will know they are a super assassins.
The trailer and a previously release clip was shown where Wes (James McAvoy) meets the super assassin Fox (Angelina Jolie) in a convenience store and she tells him that his long-estranged father is dead. The scene turns into a shoot-out in the store between Fox and another super assassin and evolves into a car chase shootout.
The new footage consisted of the scene right after the car chase at the super assassin headquarters where a greatly shook up Wes is introduced to Sloan (Morgan Freeman). Sloan hands Wes a gun and commands him to shoot the wings off a group of flies in a nearby garbage pail. Wes is scared and doesn’t think he can do it. The Gunsmith (Common) threatens him saying, “You shoot, or I shoot” while holding a gun to Wes’s head. Wes then shoots and we see that he is able to shoot the wings off of the flies. Sloan explains that Wes’s heart beats at 400 beats per minute — just like his father’s did — which gives him great adrenaline, so he’s able to do these super feats. Sloan also tells Wes about his inheritance from his father, but Wes just wants to leave, so he holds the gun at Sloan. Everyone is amused by Wes’s attempt at aggression and they all just watch as Wes leaves.
Wanted hits theaters June 27, 2008.