Comic-Con: Love is in the air for ‘Book of Eli’ stars Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman

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‘It was like good sex!’

That what it felt like to act opposite Gary Oldman, Denzel Washington told the Comic-Con crowd today. The two stars were on hand to promote their latest, the Hughes brothers’ Albert and Alan Hughes’ post-apocalyptic thriller ‘The Book of Eli.’

Oldman, in his first-ever Comic-Con appearance, returned the compliment -- and elaborated: ‘Sometimes we do it like slang African American, sometimes like English gentlemen, sometimes thespian ... just like good sex.’

‘Eli’ centers on a lone hero guarding a an ancient book said to contain the knowledge that would redeem society. It’s the first film Alan and Albert Hughes have directed since 2001’s ‘From Hell.’

In a less randy explanation, Albert Hughes said the brothers gravitated toward the project because it reminded them of what they loved about the original ‘Planet of the Apes’: ‘It was an adventure journey, but it also had something to say.’

What exactly that something is was tough to pinpoint after a seeing a brief trailer and hearing even briefer explanations of the film’s characters. The basics: Eli is on a mission to guard the book. And Oldman’s character? ‘Eli has something I want, and it’s a book. A very important book. An old book. And I want this because it’s a means to absolute rule and power.’

Fair enough. Oldman also parted with some interesting news about the start date for a certain Batman sequel, which my colleague Todd Martens took the liberty of reporting this morning.

-- Denise Martin