The Single Image That Sold 'Cowboys and Aliens' (2011)

There's a great story in MTV that told how the film and graphic novel Cowboys and Aliens started with the single image of a cowboy shooting at a spaceship.

Alan Gasmer, an agent at WMA, relates how, while reviewing concept art in pitch meetings, they first recognized the potential of "Cowboys & Aliens."

"[Rosenberg would] flip over a poster, and then another and another. When he got to the third one, I said, what's that?

He said, it's 'Cowboys & Aliens.'

I said, that's your movie.

Even though he had nothing written down, I grabbed Rob [Carlson, another WMA agent], who pitched it to his client Steve Oedekerk [director of 'Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,' and writer of 'The Nutty Professor']. Steve immediately said he was in, and that he would figure out the movie. We went out basically with an illustration and Steve, and we had five offers right away from Disney, Fox, Sony, Universal and DreamWorks until the latter two joined together and bought it. That's how business was done back then."

It is a pretty cool visual.

An alien takes out a cowboy on horseback.

Cowboy outfitted with alien weaponry.

Futuristic Indians



What do you think? Would you have bought onto this movie with just the images above?