Let us count the ways Showtime ismerchandising Dexter, its serial killer drama! As revealed at Comic-Contoday, there will be animated "Dexter Early Cuts" on Showtime.com this fall,a special application for iPhones called "Dexter: The Game," and(strange) action figures of all your favorite Dexter characters. "WhenI was shooting the pilot, I didn't think it would come to this,"groused star Michael C. Hall during the show's packed panel.

But it's the new killer that seems to have the castmost juiced for its Sept. 27 season premiere on Showtime: John Lithgow joins the actionthis season as the "Trinity" killer, aka "the most successful serialkiller ever." The thousands of Dexter fans who filled Ballroom 20 todaygot a sneak peek of Lithgow's upcoming work, which, naturally, included a scene ofhim slitting the throat of a helpless brunette. Lithgow, who joined the panel along with the always charming Hall, amongothers, wouldn't divulge much about his character. But he did joke thathis first victim was "High Commander Dick Solomon"—his memorablecharacter on the long-running sitcom Third Rock From the Sun. "Thischaracter has so many layers and colors," he teased.

Family and a new baby will figure significantly in thefourth season—the teaser included scenes of a sleep-deprived Dexterfailing at his day job as a blood splatter expert—but Hall admittedit's early yet to question whether the apple falls far from the tree."The baby has yet to exhibit any signs," Hall said. "It's possiblythere, lurking."

addCredit("Dan Littlejohn/Showtime")

Director James Cameron had just two questions for the audienceof 6,000 at today’s much-anticipated Avatar sneak peek at Comic-Con. One: “How many of you have ever wanted to go to another planet?” And two: “Are you ready to go to Pandora?” That was Cameron’s introduction to 25 minutes ofnever-before-seen footage of Avatar, which will hit theaters on Dec. 18. Attendees saw Sam Worthington’s character travel to the world of Pandora as an Avatar and interact with theNavi and the other wild, mystical creatures around him.

Donning 3-D glasses for the footage, the audience went wild for Cameron’s crazy-inventive world ofPandora, for which he created everything from floating mountains to theblades of grass to the language of the native Navi population. Cheeringwas most enthusiastic for a clip in which Worthington’s Avatar wrestles a vicious pterodactyl-type creature to attain a new mode of air transportation. Cameron is clearly not just making a cool sci-fi movie here; forhim, Avatar is socially-relevant filmmaking, regardless of howotherworldly it appears. “Avatar may have a spoonful of sugar with allthe sci-fi and special effects, but it has a conscience. It makes youthink a little bit about how you interact with nature and your fellowman.”

Cameron also made an intriguing announcement: On August 21, Twentieth Century Fox willtry to get a hold of as many 3-D and IMAX theatres as they can aroundthe world to show 15 minutes of Avatar—for free. They’re calling it “Avatar Day,” and along with footage from the film they’ll debut video game trailers andother Avatar-centric stuff. It sounds awesome, but you have to wonder: how will the theatersmanage it? 

If the New Moon footage director Chris Weitz debuted at Comic-Con today is any indication of what’s to come, Team Edward and Team Jacob will continue to battle. Indeed, the scenes screened at the panel—which featured Weitz along with Rob Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and Ashley Greene, who plays Alice—played in part like a matchup of dueling abs. Weitz debuted two scenes for the screaming fans who spent days camped out outside of Hall H waiting to see their on-screen idols. One clip featured Jacob (Lautner) showing Bella how to ride a motorcycle while she battles visions of Edward in her mind. (Jacob’s abs show up when he pulls off his shirt to wipe the blood from Bella’s forehead after she bails on the bike.) The second scene was the beginning of the climactic sequence in Italy, in which Bella and Alice are racing to save Edward from exposing himself in the sunlight. (Edward’s abs show up when he takes off his shirt intending to show the world his vampire self.)

The New Moon cast made clear that working with director Weitz was a welcome reprieve from the frenetic filmmaking style of Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke. “Chris was the perfect guy to do this movie,”  Stewart said. “Catherine was impulsive and fast. This time around we had more time to think. We could be a little more cerebral.” 

Lautner spoke of the challenges of working with such little clothing and such wicked weather conditions, while Pattinson seemed extremely comfortable highlighting his role as a “supporting” cast member in this film. Speaking of her character’s relationship angst in the sequel, Stewart said, “I played an insane person in this movie.” Weitz, for his part, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to direct the sequel. “The last film I made [The Golden Compass] was recut by the studio, and it was quite a terrible experience,” says Weitz. “This has been completely different. It’s been a tremendously rejuvenating experience for me. I can remember how much fun it is to make a film.” 

addCredit(“Kimberley French”)