It’s 2023. Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) strides out to deliver his TED speech. He is a confident and driven man. He talks of humans becoming gods and wanting to change the world as we know it. It’s awesome stuff. But will this billionaire tycoon actually be able to change our world for the better… or will he bring about its ultimate destruction?
This is the first piece of Twentieth Century Fox’s viral campaign for Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus. And it’s seriously clever and cool.
It’s also the first time we get to see Guy Pearce, who was absent from the trailer, as Sir Peter Weyland. Those familiar with the Alien series will be very familiar with the evil corporate entity that is Weyland Industries or, as it is later known, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
The plot of Prometheus is still shrouded in mystery. However, in Weyland’s speech he references the story of the titan Prometheus; who stole fire from the Gods and was severely punished. In Prometheus a crew is sent from earth to discover the origins of mankind. We can probably assume then that they steal part of their discovery and are subsequently punished for it. I wonder if this is where the rumoured xenomorphs from Alien come in?
Ok, enough of my hypothesising, here’s Sir Peter…
Enjoy!
I love how they’ve incorporated TED (the not-for-profit organisation that enables leaders and innovators to speak to the world) into the video. And Guy Pearce is perfect in the role of Sir Peter Weyland. He oozes the corporate ambition and greed Weyland Industries will later be known for (in the Alien movies). I also like how they’ve incorporated Weyland Industries’ pioneering of cybernetic individuals – their most famous future creation being Bishop from Aliens.
This is great stuff. Where will it lead next? And given this new emphasis on Weyland, does it mean that Prometheus is closer to being an Alien prequel than first thought?
I’ve attached (below) the notes from the TED Blog associated with the video. Also check out weylandindustries.com which hints at the viral campaign expanding there in the next few days.
So are you loving this viral video? What ‘real world’ media vehicle would you like to see them use next?
About the talk:
Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade. Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow.
About the Speaker:
Sir Peter Weyland was born in Mumbai, India at the turn of the Millennium. The progeny of two brilliant parents; His mother, an Oxford Educated Professor of Comparative Mythology, his father, a self-taught software Engineer, it was clear from an early age that Sir Peter’s capabilities would only be eclipsed by his ambition to realize them. By the age of fourteen, he had already registered a dozen patents in a wide range of fields from biotech to robotics, but it would be his dynamic break-throughs in generating synthetic atmosphere above the polar ice cap that gained him worldwide recognition and spawned an empire. In less than a decade, Weyland Corporation became a worldwide leader in emerging technologies and launched the first privatized industrial mission to leave the planet Earth. “There are other worlds than this one,” Sir Peter boldly declared, “And if there is no air to breathe, we will simply have to make it.”
