His face remains just about everywhere. Although a lot of The Lone Ranger is Tonto-focused, Hammer is the face of the hopeful franchise, carrying the title in his character and therefore bearing the brunt of the publicity for the movie. It seems like a new trend in pop culture for personal brands to cement their status through longevity—call it the Scooter Braun model if you wish. But these days, stars are very concerned about their staying power, and this is achieved by remaining constantly concerned with a long-term game in terms of marketing celebrity brands.
I’m not saying this about Armie Hammer so much as I am about folks like Jaden Smith, who studios or whoever pulls the strings are really trying hard to establish as a bona fide moviestar by putting them front and center of intended blockbusters over the course of several years. I guess my big fear is that Armie Hammer, who could do good things, could easily go the way of someone like Smith, who audiences have soured on following the flop of After Earth, in which he was being pushed ahead of established superstar and superdad Will Smith.
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Published: Jul 5, 2013 01:25 am