Happy Halloween, everyone! While usually this holiday brings us tales of ghouls and goblins, this week in entertainment marketing is here to remind us there's plenty to fear beyond the supernatural.
We can't forget the horrors of high school, with its embarrassing parents, nasty cliques, and school dances gone awry. Villains also lurk in unexpected places, from Buckingham Palace to a water tower on the Warner Brothers studio lot. And of course, there are also fugitives on the run, Earth's destruction, and a little thing called a global pandemic.
Take a look at the horrors in store in this week's notable trailers and posters:
Midnight Sky
Netflix
Trailer Agency: Mark Woollen
Poster Agency: P+A
George Clooney plays one of the last surviving humans of a catastrophic event on Earth in Midnight Sun, a sci-fi drama based on the novel Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Clooney was both behind the camera and in front, serving as the film's director and starring as a scientist living in Antarctica who, with a young girl, tries to warn a space crew of Earth's destruction. This piece gracefully cuts between Antarctica and space with an emotional music selection and compelling copy to successfully pull us into this post-apocalyptic tale. Clooney's quarantine beard is on full display on the enchanting poster with a clear indication of what will be on his mind when Midnight Sky is released on Dec. 23.
News of the World
Universal Pictures
Trailer Agency: Create
Poster Agency: BOND
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, News of the World sees Tom Hanks playing a Civil War veteran turned traveling newspaper storyteller. During his travels, he comes across a young orphaned girl and makes it his mission to bring her to her biological aunt and uncle. With a great Western-invoking string soundtrack, this sweeping trailer sets up the special relationship that develops between Hanks' character and the young girl. We watch their bond begin to unfold through wonderfully selected moments from the film. The poster further cements this unique partnership with an alluring portrait of the two. News of the World will be released on Christmas Day.
Wayne
Amazon Prime Video
Trailer Agency: The Refinery
Poster Agency: Rhubarb
After developing a devoted fan base following its run on YouTube Premium, Wayne is now getting a new home at Amazon Prime Video. This critically acclaimed show from the writers of Deadpool tells the story of 16-year-old Wayne and his girlfriend as they road trip to retrieve a car stolen from Wayne's dead father. The jokes land as hard as the punches in this bloody fun trailer, with just enough heartfelt emotion and heavy Boston accents to keep us on our toes. We also get to meet this new cast of the characters on the poster, featuring a great collection of portraits framed around Del's signature gold necklace. Wayne comes to Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 6.
Dreamland
Paramount Movies
Trailer Agency: N/A
Margot Robbie is a fugitive on the run in Dreamland, a new Depression-era love story and crime drama. With fast-paced cutting and sweeping drum score that up the stakes, this trailer creates a fantastically rhythmic piece for us to run along with Robbie. The epic visuals interspersed with grainy Super 8 footage and quote cards help transport us back to the Dust Bowl era. Catch Dreamland in select theaters on Nov. 13 and at home on Nov. 17.
The Prom
Netflix
Trailer Agency: N/A
Poster Agency: LA
While Broadway may still be shuttered, its spirit is alive and well in this teaser for Ryan Murphy's film adaption of the Tony-nominated musical The Prom. Guided by one of the show's bopping tunes and bedazzled graphics, we are introduced to the drama of a small Indiana town's high-school prom and the Broadway stars who come to save the day. A dedicated cast run uses those brilliant graphics to highlight the top-notch ensemble, and the film's dance sequences shine through in the adept editing. The cast also see their names up in lights on the poster, which successfully brings classic neon signs to one-dimension. It's time to start thinking about who you will ask to The Prom when it comes to Netflix on Dec. 11.
Animaniacs
Hulu
Trailer Agency: Project X/AV
With an incredible and very on-brand fourth wall break from Yakko to start, we are back with the Animaniacs in this trailer for the reboot of the beloved '90s cartoon. It uses a trailerized version of the stuck-in-your-head-for-days theme song (but with plenty of stop downs to let those quintessential jokes land) to triumphantly remind us why the Animaniacs captured our hearts in the first place. It's a great mix of the old, Brain trying to capture the world, and the new, Yakko with an iPad, to welcome both established fans and newbies to the mania when the new episodes are released Nov. 20.
Selena
Netflix
Trailer Agency: N/A
This full trailer for the new Selena series does a great job at providing a mini-retrospective of the young star's path to fame and uses just enough of her adored hits that you can't help but want to get up and dance along. Although we know the tragic end of Selena's tale, this piece instead focuses on the brighter sides of the story and her inspiring legacy. Watch Selena rise to stardom on Dec. 4.
The Crown
Netflix
Trailer Agency: JAX
The Crown continues its run of incredible AV work for the new season with this full trailer, which splits its focus on the two tumultuous relationships that will define Season 4—the power struggle between Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher and the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The piece does a magnificent job of highlighting the incisive tension to come with its atmospheric soundtrack and honed cutting. We can only hope the real thing is as good as the marketing has been when The Crown premieres Nov. 15.
Saved by the Bell
Peacock
Trailer Agency: Buddha Jones
We are welcomed back to Bayside High in this full trailer for the Saved by the Bell reboot. This fast-paced piece with plenty of late-'80s flair introduces us to the new crew of high schoolers who now fill those hallowed halls while still giving some very important alums some screen time. The final montage of clips, including A.C. Slater doing the splits and pulling off his shirt (yup, he's still got it!), is particularly fun and leaves us with plenty of energy to sustain ourselves until Saved by the Bell premieres Nov. 25.
Songbird
STX Entertainment
Trailer Agency: N/A
Poster Agency: Switch
Well, folks, it's official, the scariest movie trailer of the year is here—meet Covid-23, the mutated virus that has sent the world into its fourth year of quarantine in the new Michael Bay-produced pandemic thriller Songbird. As the soundtrack sings "don't worry about a thing," the visuals tell us we actually have quite a bit to worry about, thank you very much. Songbird was the first feature to film during the Covid-19 lockdown in Los Angeles and is a terrifying portrait of an out-of-control pandemic. This piece certainly evokes the fear with haunting sound design and some quick cuts of those signature Michael Bay action scenes. The poster features what sadly has become a familiar 2020 scene, connecting with others through walls. Songbird has yet to set an official release date, but in the meantime, please wear your masks…
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