More from the never-before-published set of advertising poster mockups for Superman: The Movie featuring the tagline used in some of the early trailers precluded (in voice over) by This Year… but ultimately losing out to one of the most famous taglines in Movie history.
From the top –
Title over Bob Peak art, alternate shot of Reeve in flight over Metropolis, The Crystal shield and finally the Crystal title. The selection of the final art must have been an agonising choice given the strength (and simplicity) of the concepts presented here. All credit to the producers for standing firm with a campaign as iconic as the Movie…
This newest addition to my collection (and another SUPERMANIA exclusive!) is from a set of what I believe to be unpublished studio 10×8’s taken of a series of poster mockups for Superman: The Movie featuring variations on the tagline, and featuring art (with the exception of the bottom image) by the legendary Bob Peak.
Though the familiar silver shield and rainbow streak would ultimately be the final image used in the global release, The Peak painting in the first poster was later utilised in full colour and the liner notes of the Varese Sarabande soundtrack release in 1998…
…And the saga continues, with the addition of the ultra-rare poster from Bravo magazine (artist unknown) featuring the Superheroes of the seventies, including Adam West’s incarnation of Batman and Nicholas Hammond’s Amazing Spider-Man, with Reeve’s Superman soaring high above his small-screen comrades…
My thanks to Superfan Chris King for the poster restoration!!
A hauntingly atmospheric creation by artist Owain Wilson from his flickr album – see it and more classic movies given the avant garde treatment here –
“For my Superman design, I figured simple, elegant and classy was the way to go, much like the original 1978 poster and the film itself. I looked for a profile shot of Marlon Brando and found this painting by an artist whose name I couldn’t make out (Kris Meadows) It was part of a bigger composition so I took this part out and got to work. The thing I’m most proud of in this poster is Superman’s flight streak. I can’t believe I figured out how to do it..!”
The quest for global box-office domination through promotion – Daniel Goozee’s definitive original painting for the marketing of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace was adapted for overseas markets with wildly varying results (and replaced altogether in France). Translations of the title would also yield some interesting interpretations of the theme – In Germany ‘The Quest For Peace’ would become ‘World On The Brink’ and ‘The Strongest Enemy’ for the Japanese campaign.
From the top; German poster (‘artist’ unknown) alternative artwork for the French poster (artist unknown) a magazine ad for the Brazillian home video release and the Japanese one-sheet. Despite the customarily glossy marketing the movie would go on to gross $15,681,020 worldwide and would be considered the flop that ended the franchise…
