The Creator Trailer Includes Footage From Real-Life Beirut Explosion, Sparks Debate on Social Media
Fiction meets reality in sinister ways.
20th Century Studios and New Regency’s upcoming film, The Creator, is all set to launch on 29 September. However, ahead of its release, the film has been caught in a controversy on social media, for including what seems like real footage of the Beirut Explosion from 2020.
The Creator brings to life one of the most prevalent topics of the day: Will AI take over humanity? In a fictional account, The Creator is set in a dystopic future where artificial intelligence, created to protect humanity, detonated a nuclear warhead in Los Angeles. Joshua, an ex-special forces agent, played by the Tenet star John David Washington, has been tasked with the responsibility of locating the AI, in a race for its possession by the world powers. Our protagonist eventually finds out that this AI is in the form of a vulnerable child, and develops a connection with it, prompting him to become a sort of protective figure for it.
It is clear from this brief of the film by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One and Godzilla director), that the explosions shown in the film have nothing to do with that of the Port of Beirut. While the latter was an accidental tragedy, it caused the death of hundreds and injured thousands. However, the trailer allegedly includes a scene (at 0:34 seconds of the latest trailer) that featured footage from real videos of the explosion in Beirut, as pointed out in a Reddit thread and YouTube channel Corridor Crew.
Netizens now debate online over the ethics behind this choice that the filmmakers made. Some even pointed out how film often serve as an escape from reality, while such acts undo that purpose. Some others mentioned how they consider this to be a gimmick, where the usage of the footage serves no purpose other than using it as an accessory in the trailer.
While it is still not clear if the footage included does feature in the real film as well, or if it was a rushed inclusion for the trailer, the audience doesn’t seem to be looking forward to experiencing the scene on the big screen.
