Entertainment Weekly has posted an interview with director Jon Favreau about the Cowboys & Aliens Super Bowl spot, a discussion which may even enter spoiler territory. We’ve posted some highlights and you can view the spot again below as well:
People will be dissecting these 30-second trailers, so tell us up front — what are we not seeing?
JON FAVREAU: We haven’t shown any of the aliens. We want to hold that back. And all the images we’re showing are from the beginning, up to the first half of the film. We’re not showing a lot of where it goes. The first teaser was showing the opening of the film and a little of the setup. This one is showing more of the sense of adventure as things unfold. We’re just trying to get people’s feet wet.
In other words, this is not Wild Wild West.
There’s a level of fun, but that doesn’t mean we have to wink. The characters aren’t having fun, but the audience is. We wanted to maintain the integrity of both genres, and focus on a specific aspect of the alien genre which mostly revolves around the films of the ’80s that I grew up with, and I’m lucky enough to be working with Spielberg (Cowboys & Aliens executive producer), who was the author of many of the films we’re using as inspiration. And sometimes it’s fun to play things as thriller, sometimes verging on horror, like Alien or Aliens. We wanted to maintain that gravity.
And Olivia Wilde, nude by a fire … that’s intriguing.
It is, isn’t it? That’s a moment in the film that may seem out of context, but actually makes a lot of sense in the course of the movie.
People are wondering if she’s an alien.
Because she’s not wearing any clothes?
Well, that … and it seems to be some ritual, and all through the trailer she’s shooting Daniel Craig knowing looks, and seems to be the only cool customer while everyone else loses it. Like she knows something they don’t.
Okay, that’s an interesting theory. You’re the first person who’s asked me that. If it’s making you speculate then it’s doing a good job. But I cannot confirm or deny anything.
