Am I just a grump ...

[veronica_rich]

... or do the "official" posters for the upcoming "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel look incredibly cheap for being recycled from the first movie? (I'm sorry, it's time for an editorial. Feel free to skip me over.)

I'm referring to the posters here and here. There's also a Jack character poster that is essentially this one with the POTC2 logo in the corner of it.

I mean, what the hell? Disney can sink a few hundred thousand dollars into the sequels, but couldn't budget something for an artist to design some new promotional materials, and possibly a photographer to help create it?

I would understand if new art concepts were based on those from promotion of the first movie. Universal did it quite cleverly with Back to the Future in posters for both II and III, and look at all the different "Matrix" posters Warner got out of a few basic design ideas - yet, each was distinctive to its own movie. What Disney's doing is just outright, obvious recycling with little to no new material.

I mean, criminey. I know fan artists who probably have charged less than what Disney is used to paying, and would've produced really GOOD work.

Comments

[pseudoblu.livejournal.com]

You are not alone in thinking it.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Good. I'm not just a bitch, then. (I cross-posted this to http://community.livejournal.com/arrrrr/290438.html - you should hop over and read the discussions there. I think you're the only one HERE!)

[pseudoblu.livejournal.com]

Beyond it looking like fanart (nothing wrong with fanart, I make some myself), I don't like the composition of that official poster. Will looks like his head was pasted on (yay), I don't like that Jack and Elizabeth are both facing left even if their eyes are looking at us, the top looks too crowded, etc.

I swear they already used those pictures in promotion with the first movie. ...Ok, I just looked at the poster for the first movie I got free in the newspaper ages ago and that is the exact same Elizabeth picture. They just retouched it in different ways. And the exact same with Will too! My God! In the first poster they softened under the eyes and here they're emphasizing the darkness and grittiness and they added wisps of hair on his forehead. And I know that Jack picture was used elsewhere too.

Wow. Disney's doing so much merch this time, yet they didn't bother getting new pictures.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

In the first poster they softened under the eyes and here they're emphasizing the darkness and grittiness

My guess is they're going for an older, more brooding, less naive Will - they're going to let the character's looks catch up in age more with the actor's.

On the arrrrr post, someone pointed out these may be fake posters Disney is circulating to throw off the fans so as not to leak too many spoilers ahead of time. I don't know that I've seen that done before - then again, for that reason, it *could* be true. Sort of guerilla marketing, stirring up the old fans without giving too much away too early ...

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

Nope, psuedoblu isn't the only one. I don't read arrrrr on a regular basis so I get my news mostly from you!;) No, you're not the only one and you're not just being a bitch. It's just corporate Amerika for you--do as little as you can in hopes of getting as much as you can out of it. And they wonder why employees are lazy, steal, and cheat. *sigh*

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, intriguing icon ...

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

It's from one of the deleted scenes where Will is helping Jack break out of jail and Jack grabs his "effects" then turns and points his pistol at Will after he says something like "Why are you bothering with that stuff?" It's hard to see in the picture but Will's whole bearing is just "OMG, WTF have I gotten myself into?" Priceless!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, metalkatt and I have watched those deleted scenes quite a number of times and you can just see Will thinking "Um, dumbass ..." when Jack's pointed the gun at him in the gaol. But we have other favorites, actually - perhaps the slashiest scene of all, "The Immortal Captain Jack Sparrow" as well as "Peas in a Pod" (which she thinks is Jack acknowledging he and Elizabeth are after the same thing, hee). I rather like "Bit of a Stick" with the way Jack just regards Will with a "WTF?" expression after pulling his sword on the pubgoers.

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

YES!!!! I agree wholeheartedly on the "Peas in a Pod" scene--it's actually the only scene where I can really envision that Jack might be at all interested in the Commodore (I mean after all, he has a really big . . . boat.:) I think that the fact that the pretty little whore approaches Will and he actually seems mildly interested in that scene (I think it's that one) actually gives Will a bit more personality.

Always Recycle?

[a-silver-rose.livejournal.com]

Posters aren't the only things Dinesy recylces. Try their movies: Shaggy Dog remade with Tim Allen, Herbie and Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan . . . feel free to add more.

- Silver Rose

Re: Always Recycle?

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Much, MANY more than those, yes. I admit I've wondered how the remake of POTC will go off in about 20 years or so, and with what up-and-coming really young actor in the business now, as Jack Sparrow.

(Are you trying to introduce musclebound men into my livejournal?)

Re: Always Recycle?

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

It bothered me when I found out that Herbie in the remake was CGIed into having actual facial expressions. Having seen and enjoyed the originals, it just makes me sad to realize that the people responsible for the remakes have so obviously missed the point. It's too bad.

*Trying NOT to contemplate a PotC remake 20 years on--{{shiver}}*

Re: Always Recycle?

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Well obviously, the new Will and Elizabeth are either just being born or are very small children right now, so you can't pre-cast them. But what about who could play Jack in 20 years? Barbossa? The governor? Speculation?

Re: Always Recycle?

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

Daniel Radcliffe as Jack Sparrow? ;) Rupert Grint as Lt. Gillette for sure. LOL

Re: Always Recycle?

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Rupert! Yes!

Hmm. Daniel? Depends. What about Jake Gyllenhaal? (He has the same shit-eating grin.)

Re: Always Recycle?

[captsparrow4evr.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, you wouldn't want to typecast Jake (gay cowboy, gay pirate, gay "Bubble Boy"?) I just think for Daniel he'll be so typecast as Harry Potter that it will be the only thing to let him shake the image and get some different roles. And he can probably get the accent right.:)

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

All I can say is: at least we know someone at Disney needs to get off their lazy ass and do something called work.