CONVENTION SMALL TALK ENDS IN FIRST VILLAIN ROLE; OFFICIALS URGE CAUTION IN QUEUES

SAN DIEGO — Safety officials have reopened the file on Hunter Hunted, the 2019 production that gave Mr. Samman his first on-screen villain role, after confirming that the role began with nothing more than a conversation at a comic convention.

"Nobody walks into a convention expecting to leave as a bad guy," said one investigator. "You go for the panels. You chat to somebody in a queue. Next thing you know, you're standing beside a car at night, lit from one side, being menacing on purpose." Investigators confirmed that, despite the title, no invisible jungle hunter was involved, "which is more than the last unit could say."

The clip, shot almost entirely in darkness, shows Mr. Samman looking comfortable on the wrong side of the story. In a week in which he admitted to envying a movie villain for years, this desk has decided to report that without comment.

Mr. Samman maintains that playing the villain is the healthy version. "You get to try the monster on," said a fellow cast member, who is fictional. "Then you take it off and go and get tacos. That's the whole difference between acting and the other thing."

Convention organisers say small talk will continue to be permitted next year, "under supervision."