Comic-Con 2012: ‘True Blood’ Panel Reveals Juicy Season 5 Details

Greetings, fang-bangers! We’re on hand in San Diego for the Comic-Con 2012 'True Blood' panel, and we’ve got all the latest scoop!

'True Blood' already kicked off its season 5 with a bang, but we're still aching for more details. Who unearthed Russell Edgington? What's the whole deal with Lilith? Ifrits?

Moderated by Entertainment Weekly's Tim Stack, the panel consisted of all of our favorite stars -- Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Joe Manganiello, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Christopher Meloni, Rutina Wesley, Deborah Ann Woll, Nelsan Ellis and Kristin Bauer van Straten -- as well as creator and showrunner Alan Ball.

HBO debuted an all-new sizzle reel for the rest of season 5, before the entire cast was brought out to discuss the series with creator Alan Ball!

Here’s what we learned:

• The new trailer seemed to go by awful fast, but we did do our best to catch some choice glimpses. We saw lots of Sookie hanging out with the faeries, and Bill and Eric glamouring their way out of Sookie’s memory forever! There was plenty of Russell Edgington being his flamboyant self, along with Tara’s mother confronting the newly-made vampire at Fangtasia! Expect plenty of war between humans and the supernatural, and Bill possibly ending up as a convert to the Sanguinistas!
• Not to mention that Alcide accepts his place as leader of the pack, and Lafayette uses his medium skills to help Terry Bellefleur with his Ifrit! And was that Godric we spied?
• Quote of the panel goes to Christopher Meloni, who references his past on ‘Law and Order: SVU’ by saying, “Trying to figure out what’s a sex crime on this show is very difficult.”
• We’ll definitely be getting more information on the Stackhouse parents, and how their deaths impacted Sookie and Jason. Oh, and sex scenes! Lot’s of crazy new sex scenes, as Joe Manganiello “sexually eviscerates” another cast member, and at least three new romantic pairings will pop up before the end of the season.
• Stephen Moyer will direct the eighth episode of the season, for which he prepared extensively, and Sam Trammell (Sam) apparently had a very difficult scene to film within it.
• When asked about the rumor that Alexander Skarsgard might take place in the ’Fifty Shades of Grey’ adaptation, the actor confessed to not having read the book, nor having seen a script. Stephen Moyer jokes, “He’s just lived the life.”
• Rutina Wesley continually finds more to play as vampire Tara, discovering a strength the character isn’t even sure of, and all new sides to Pam. Alan Ball says the decision came at the beginning of the fourth season, as they had done the baby vampire story before with Jessica, but never through the eyes of someone who truly hated vampires.
• There are no current plans to introduce “were-tigers,” or John Quinn, but that could change when Alan Ball steps down as showrunner this season in favor of writer Mark Hudis. So too could the faerie war be introduced, given that there are still seasons left to go.
• Anna Paquin says that the last scene of the last episode this year is going to “blow people’s minds.” Similarly, Deborah Anne Woll teased that episode 10 would be a big one for Jessica.
• The entire crowd gave a standing ovation, at Stephen Moyer’s urging, for departing showrunner Alan Ball.

Don’t forget, there’s an all-new episode of ‘True Blood’ this Sunday, and keep it here for all the latest from season 5!