Matt Damon’s New Movie Accused Of Plagiarism, See The Evidence
Matt Damon might be seeing a little controversy with his new film being accused of plagiarism.
This article is more than 2 years old
Matt Damon’s new historical drama The Last Duel (2021) directed by Ridley Scott has been generally well-received by critics ahead of its fast-approaching official release date on October 15, 2021. In addition to critical opinions, one of the major elements that contribute to a movie’s visibility and overall success is the promotional artwork that precedes it. However, in the case of The Last Duel, its movie poster could end up hurting it more than helping it. According to Slash Film, the promotional poster is alleged to be a flagrant defraudation of a well-known Game of Thrones poster created by Mondo’s Martin Ansin back in 2012.
The Last Duel movie poster, at first glance, is decidedly striking. It has a light-on-dark component that does a nice job of highlighting the movie’s key players, with Matt Damon as the figurehead the poster expertly guides one’s eyes downward to notice the rest of the cast. It is dramatic, yet simple which artfully imbues the solemn tone of the film. Take a look at the poster below.
If one were not familiar with the Game of Thrones poster initially created by artist Martin Ansin, then The Last Duel poster could easily be applauded for its outwardly compelling design. However, a direct comparison between the two reveals some overtly obvious similarities. For instance, the placement of Matt Damon and the rest of the cast members are almost identical to those on the Game of Thrones poster, as well as the positioning of the swords. Additionally, the dark versus light color schemes are exceedingly reminiscent of each other. It can be said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery or that at this point there are no new ideas. However, its looks as though The Last Duel poster’s artist didn’t even try. Take a look at the original one created for Game of Thrones below.
Whether or not the evident plagiarism in the promotional material will hinder the success of Matt Damon’s new movie remains to be seen. One can hope that the performances of the actors would resonate more with fans than with the issues surrounding a plagiarized poster. It should be noted that Matt Damon and the rest of the cast have no control over marketing materials, and judging by Matt Damon’s impressive repertoire as an actor, the former is actually likely. Matt Damon is no stranger to having worked on a successful movie. In fact, Matt Damon’s movie Stillwater was just streaming at number one on Amazon.
Prior to the release of the poster, anticipation for The Last Duel was rapidly intensifying. It is likely that the buildup of anticipation regarding the release of the movie will serve to overshadow the alleged falsehood of its promotional poster. In fact, judging its official trailer, which depicted the on-screen reunion of real-life best buds Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, its looks as though fans have good reason to look forward to its upcoming premiere. The teaser expertly delivers a hold-your-breath preview that artfully encapsulates the film narrative’s real-life origins.
