Chalk this up to yet another “Solo: A Star Wars Story” controversy.
After a messy shakeup behind the camera, casting changes, and little-to-no marketing materials, it looks like ‘Solo’ has yet another odd story to add to the list. After the release of the first trailer, Disney and Lucasfilm released a series of character posters. These posters were very well-made and definitely striking, promising that the upcoming film was going to have maybe a little more style and flair than your standard “Star Wars” film. Apparently, there was perhaps a reason why the posters were so well done.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and Lucasfilm are “looking into” the possibility that the posters were plagiarized from a French artist. Over the weekend, artist Hachim Bahous shared the ‘Solo’ posters side-by-side with a posters he created for a series of albums back in 2015. Now, we’re no artistic geniuses over here, but they really do look similar, to say the least.
“I am flattered that the quality of my work is recognized, but it is still pure and simple forgery, I have not been asked for my permission, I wish to be credited and paid for this work I have done for Sony!” Bahous wrote on his Facebook page.
The connection to Sony that he alludes to is that the albums he did these covers for was a collection of classic songs from various genres. The albums were released by Sony Recordings France/Legacy Records France.
A Disney spokesman told THR, “The posters were created by an outside vendor and it’s something we are currently looking into.”
There’s been no follow-up as of yet, and with the May release date approaching, Disney would probably be keen on keeping all the marketing materials they have released out in the public.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” is scheduled to release May 25, and who knows what else is bound to happen between now and then.
