To assist with the promotion of M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi blockbuster ‘After Earth,’ Sony has announced that a large scale multi-platform marketing blitz will occur in the coming months to generate buzz before the film’s release next summer. The promotion will include 2 novels (a prequel and an official novelization of the film), a comic book issue and a series of digital shorts. To start off this campaign, Sony has just released its first viral teaser.

While there is no footage of Will Smith or his son Jaden (who are starring in the film), the teaser gives a brief Facebook timeline history of the events leading up to the setting of the film. It tells of the “cataclysmic events that forced humanity to abandon Earth around the year 2050 (which is referenced in the ‘After Earth’ synopsis of the movie happening a thousand years after his event).

The whole set up makes me think that Sony is hoping to capitalize this into a franchise as the backstory of ‘After Earth’ has been, from the viral video, centuries in the making. If successful, ‘After Earth’ would be the starting point to all the other stories that could possibly be told.

‘After Earth’ apparently originated with Will Smith with the screenplay being worked on by Gary Whitta (‘The Book of Eli’), then Shyamalan with a final rewrite by Stephen Gaghan (‘Traffic,’ ‘American Gothic’). While the background story is massive, the thought of a whole new universe and sci-fi storyline is enough to get me interested in keeping an eye on this film to see if Shyamalan can pull it off.

What do you think? Is this movie the one that will bring Shyamalan back to his former glory or are you at the point where his name has made you already decide to avoid the film?

‘After Earth’ Synopsis:

One thousand years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape from Earth, Nova Prime has become mankind’s new home. Legendary General Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (played by Jaden Smith).

When an asteroid storm damages Cypher and Kitai’s craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.

‘After Earth’ Viral Teaser:

‘After Earth’ stars Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Isabelle Fuhrman, Zoë Kravitz, and Sophie Okonedo and will be released in theaters on June 7, 2013.

Source: Bleeding Cool