Brandweek posted an article on all the hype about Sasha Baron Cohen's new movie 'Bruno'. The 'Borat' star has begun filming around the world for his new foray into faux investigative journalism, in which he pretends to be a gay Austrian rock star. Word has gotten out that he caught Hamas on tape giving his opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during an interview in which he also confuses the retired Mossad agent with hummus. Hamas figured out that he was being shammed, and published info on the interview.
Here's the kicker: the movie is coming out next summer. That's right, one year from now. There's not even footage out yet. This all begs the question: how early is too early?
According to Brandweek, Snakes on a Plane suffered from being over-hyped. I have to take the side that even less people would have seen it without the viral excitement. It would have been nothing but a kitschy B-movie without the (supposedly organic) marketing. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like trailers are so long that I've already seen the whole movie. In real life, this effect plays out when I think so much about doing something that I forget to do it. Has anyone else had the experience where you write a thorough letter or hold a serious conversation in your head that's so satisfying you never get around to actually doing it?
My prediction: 'Bruno' will succeed or fail based on a variety of factors, none of which include the early internet hype.