It was whisky-a-go-go at San Diego Comic-Con Thursday as Halle Berry downed a huge glass of neat bourbon during a boozy panel for her new movie "Kingsman: The Golden Circle."

The sequel to 20th Century Fox's hit 2014 spy thriller sees its heroes from the "Kingsman" secret service team up with their American counterparts, posing as liquor distillers.

So moderator Jonathan Ross handed out a bottle for the cast and crew to share onstage. 

But while Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum poured themselves mouthfuls in shot glasses, Tatum half-filled a pint glass for Berry.

The panelists and Ross taunted Berry, chanting "Chug! Chug! Chug!" as the crowd cheered -- so the 50-year-old Oscar winner stood up and finished off her drink in one go.

"'Kingsman' and Fox films would like to remind you to drink responsibly, not like Halle Berry. She's a professional, she can handle it," quipped Ross, a British TV host and the husband of "Kingsman" screenwriter Jane Goldman.

While Berry spent much of the panel with her head in her hands, thousands of fans in the San Diego Convention Center were treated to exclusive footage from the $140 million movie, which opens on September 22.

One high-octane sequence saw Egerton's character Eggsy speeding in a taxi cab through London before careening into a lake, while in another he is beaten up by Tatum, who still has the physique he sculpted for the "Magic Mike" films.

While he has clearly bulked up for his own role, Egerton admitted that he was "nothing in terms of strength" compared with his co-star. 

"All I will say is don't get into a fight with Channing Tatum," he added.

The panel kicked off an afternoon of sessions in the 6,500-seat Hall H -- the nucleus of the four-day Comic-Con convention, where big-name stars drop by to promote their films and TV shows.

Other highlights included a Q&A with the cast of "Teen Wolf," -- which is set to end its six-year run on MTV -- and a sneek peek presentation by Netflix of David Ayer's new action-thriller "Bright."

Since its humble beginnings in 1970 as a convention of a few dozen geeks swappinig superhero magazines, Comic-Con has exploded into one of America's largest and most spectacular pop culture event.

From Thursday it is expected to welcome 135,000 cosplayers, movie executives, sci-fi fans and bloggers to feast on all manner of panels, screenings and other fan events and attractions.

Source: AFP