Matt KeayA film lives or dies by two things; its plot and its cast. More often than not, the two go hand-in-hand and is governed by the popular performers of the time in which the movie is being made. For instance, can you imagine anyone in the role of Tyler Durden than Brad Pitt? Pitt epitomises the affected anti-capitalist hunk that Palahniuk wrote about in the source novel. Pitt crafted a performance that none could replicate. Pitt is Durden. The same can be said for Ryan Gosling’s mesmerising performance in Drive. His portrayal as The Driver in Nicholas Winding Refn’s neo-noir is incomparable. The role belongs to Gosling, and it is impossible now to imagine anyone else playing the character.
Peter Stults thinks that’s rubbish. He’s taken it upon himself to re-imagine movies we all know and love, and transposes them to another time. Who would star in them? Who would direct them? Thus, he has created posters for a wide selection of films, spanning various genres, and re-imagined the differing cast and crew for each. The result is maddeningly brilliant, and makes us want to see each and every one of these films made.
Included in Stults’ selection is aforementioned Drive, using James Dean (who else?) in Gosling’s role, directed by John Ford. I honestly can’t think of a better choice. The poster captures the rebellious nature of Dean’s Rebel Without A Cause, and also the epic genius of Ford would bring an unrivalled quality to the picture. Let’s face it, there’s no better replacement for the bewitching quietness of Carey Mulligan than Eva Marie Saint.
Another of Stults’ choices was The Big Lebowski, directed by Ken Russell, a choice we’re sure even Ethan Coen would be pleased with. In Stults’ re-imagining, Jeff Bridges role as The Dude is played by Frank Zappa, and John Goodman is David Bowie. Can someone please make this happen?
The cherry on top, however, has to be The Hangover, re-imagined as a screwball comedy starring Dean Martin, Jack Lemmon and Jerry Lewis and Muhammad Ali in the Mike Tyson cameo. Stults’ poster perfectly replicates the unhinged quality of the much-loved twenty-first century comedy series, and fits excellently in the genre made famous by this comedy trio.
The complete collection of Stults’ posters can be found here.
