One of the biggest concerns surrounding the recent significant leaps in AI technology is that it may soon take over creative jobs. And we are already seeing glimpses of that future in Indonesia.
Pasutri Gaje (which roughly translates to “silly young husband and wife”) is an upcoming live-action adaptation of a popular webtoon of the same name. Created and drawn in the Japanese manga style by Annisa Nisfihani, the webtoon series tells the story of a young married couple who work as civil servants.
Movie studio Falcon Pictures yesterday announced that it was adapting the webtoon for the silver screen. The studio also introduced superstars Reza Rahadian and Bunga Citra Lestari (BCL) as the lead characters, Adimas and Adelia, respectively.
However, the movie has sparked controversy among fans of the original webtoon, especially regarding its first official artwork.
In distinct movie poster style, the artwork features an image of the main characters that appears to have been created using AI technology. Many netizens criticized the poster for not being faithful to the webtoon’s art style and genre, accusing Falcon Pictures of not respecting the webtoonist’s hard work and creativity by using AI instead of hiring a real artist.
“Shame on the art director, what the fuck is this poster? Pasutri Gaje is a story about a slice-of-life couple who are civil servants, so why is the poster like Cyberpunk 2077? Also, if you want to use AI, at least clean up the traces. It’s embarrassing,” the tweet above reads.
One comic artist even made a digitally hand drawn fan art for the movie, which she believes better captures the essence of the series.
Falcon Pictures has neither confirmed nor denied that the artwork was AI-generated, but seems to have acknowledged the criticism.
“This is just an artwork, wait for the official poster,” the studio replied to a comment on Instagram.
Aside from the AI controversy, there’s also some murmur of discontent towards the casting choices for the leads. Some feel that Reza Rahadian, 36, and BCL, 40, are too old to play young, newlywed civil servants.
Pasutri Gaje will start shooting on June 23, 2023, and is expected to be released in 2024. The movie will be directed by Fajar Bustomi, who is known for the massive hits Dilan 1990 and Dilan 1991, among others.
