Antonio Banderas Goes Bald And Bloody In Posters For Futuristic Thriller Automata
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I’ve seen movie posters put their films’ titles in some pretty interesting places, but on the side of Antonio Banderas’ stubbly bald head is definitely a first. Above is one of two new posters promoting the “wait, when did this movie get made?” thriller Autómata, the sophomore feature from Spanish filmmaker Gabe Ibáñez. I mean, it’s possible all of you readers have already heard about it, but it’s a first for me. And my time is coming to an end, while theirs is just beginning. But who “they” are remains to be seen.
In Automata, which obviously takes place at some point in the future, Banderas plays a security agent for a robotics company. He is sent out on what is supposed to be a routine investigation of robots that are malfunctioning, but it probably turns out to be something far worse than he expects. The ominous tone of that tagline is sticking with me. Does it mean that the robots turn sentient and are thereby dedicated to removing human life from the planet? Other humans in this film include Dylan McDermott (Hostages), Robert Forster (Heroes), Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (Pitch Perfect 2), Andy Nyman (Death at a Funeral), and Melanie Griffith (Working Girl) as the voice of Cleo. (I wonder if Banderas and Griffith will be appearing on publicity panels together, given their recent hullabaloo.)
I quite like the post-apocalyptic look of these posters, even though it doesn’t appear any kind of an apocalypse is in store in the movie. I mean, honestly, who shaves their head and walks around in a giant coat like that in barren lands if the world isn’t ending? Let’s take closer look at one of those wandering robots in the poster below. How did Neill Blomkamp have nothing to do with this movie?
It would seem that the robot and Banderas’ Jacq Vaucan are on the same side of things, unless the artificially intelligent bot is just transporting Jacq as a prisoner or something. Honestly, I could just sit here and make up a thousand different scenarios for this film to follow. Maybe the robots got mad that he shaved his head. It didn’t start out like that, as evidenced by this first poster for the film, released all the way back in February of 2012.
Gabe Ibáñez is arguably best known for his visual effects work in Álex de la Iglesia’s Dance With the Devil and The Day of the Beast. His first feature was 2009’s mystery thriller Hierro, about a mother trying to find her missing son. Here’s the trailer for that film.
Millennium Entertainment has the domestic distribution rights to Automata but they haven’t set a release date just yet. Maybe they’re waiting on their robots to do it for them.
