Video: “RocknRolla” at Comic-Con 2008

Stars Gerard Butler, Jeremy Piven, Idris Elba and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges joined director Guy Ritchie...

Stars Gerard Butler, Jeremy Piven, Idris Elba and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges joined director Guy Ritchie for yesterday’s presentation on “RocknRolla,” Ritchie’s first film since infamous bomb “Revolver,” which took two years to reach U.S. shores. “RocknRolla,” which is about the Russian mob in London, is the film that everyone’s hoping represents a return to form for the director who first made a splash with snappy urban crime films like “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch.”

Mostly, though, all eyes were on Butler, who offered chocolates to the crowd of adoring female fans and answered questions on the nature of his role and whether it was as physically challenging as his part in “300.” Piven, in turn, offered his own fan service, saying “I’m completely overwhelmed by everyone’s focus and their dedication. I’m in honor of all of you and I celebrate each and everyone one of you — and I would like to do that personally, I’m in a service position for all of you. I would give you chocolate — I have no more chocolate left. But I am going to take my shirt off.”

While “RocknRolla” is set to open October 3rd, many were already looking forward to Ritchie’s next film, “Sherlock Holmes,” which promises (threatens?) to give a contemporary spin to the classic character, who’ll be played by Robert Downey, Jr. “It’s like James Bond in 1891,” producer Joel Silver offered. “It’s an action picture, it’s seeing Holmes the way he always should have been seen.”

Take a look at video clips from the panel below:

More from Comic-Con 2008: The “Watchmen” panel with director Zack Snyder, Billy Crudup and Carla Gugino; the panel for “The Spirit,” with director Frank Miller and Samuel L. Jackson; the panel for “The Wolf Man” with award-winning make-up artist Rick Baker and stars Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt.