Every big release these days needs to come complete with its own viral marketing campaign. But this latest promo for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sci-fi epic Prometheus doesn’t exactly hide its purpose. No, the clip of Guy Pearce pulling a John Hurt as corporate “visionary” Peter Weyland is well and truly tied into the film from the get-go. Still, while the footage won’t appear in the film (it was conceived by Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Ridley’s son, Luke) it’s still an intriguing little tease. Take a look below.
Set within a future broadcast – marked as 2023 – of the TED talks series (designed to showcase ideas from people in the fields of technology, entertainment and design, hence the name), it features Pearce’s Weyland talking up both the history of the Prometheus legend and the technological marvels we’ve come up with so far. It also hints towards the future, with Weyland's big plans, which is obviously of more direct relevance to Prometheus, the film.
While the clip itself is short, it’s still an interesting little back door into the story of the film without giving spoilers away. Plus, with Weyland’s company attitude and driving ambition, you just know things are going to be terribly, terribly wrong. Though, to be honest, you can figure that out from the trailer…
It's also just the first step in what is clearly an expanding campaign - check out the new (barebones for now) Weyland Industries site.
Prometheus will arrive on June 1.