Lionsgate Vows to Recall Italy’s ’12 Years a Slave’ Poster Focusing on Brad Pitt
December 23, 2013 | 01:09PM PT
White actors at the centerpiece of slave drama in country
Variety StaffCalling the posters unauthorized, Lionsgate is vowing to recall the Italian marketing material for “12 Years a Slave,” which puts the focus on Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender at the expense of star Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Italian distributor BIM is releasing the film in the region and worked with marketing company Fanatical About Cinema in making the posters, which have caused an uproar on the Internet.
Execs at BIM could not be reached for comment. But a spokesman for Lionsgate, whose Summit label is handling the film overseas, said “The ’12 Years a Slave’ theatrical posters featuring Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender that were recently released in Italy were unauthorized and were not approved by any of the producers or licensors of the film. Summit Entertainment, acting as exclusive sales agent for the licensors, is investigating and taking immediate action to stop the distribution of any unauthorized posters and to have those posters currently in the marketplace recalled.”
Pitt, who produced the film, has a minor role in “12 Years a Slave” but is one of the biggest stars in the world so the decision to promote him could easily be a financial one. However, it’s hard to overlook the implications of the fact that other materials in Italy favor another white actor in a supporting role, Fassbender, as opposed to Ejiofor, the black actor who appears in virtually every scene in the film.
Read more:
http://variety.com/2013/film/news/italys-12-years-a-slave-poster-favors-brad-pitt-over-black-star-1200990875/
