Anheuser-Busch has reportedly asked producers of the Denzel Washington movie Flight to digitally remove or obscure any and all appearances of Budweiser beer in the film.
According to Deadline , the company is unhappy that Denzel Washington’s character is seen consuming the alcoholic beverage in director Robert Zemeckis’ airline thriller. Budweiser vice president Robert McCarthy claims he had “no knowledge of the use or portrayal” of the beer in film prior to production.
In fact, McCarthy was so irritated with the portrayal of Budweiser in Flight that he issued a letter to Zemeckis’ Image Movers production company and Paramount Pictures.
This is what he had to say:
“We would never condone the misuse of our products, and have a long history of promoting responsible drinking and preventing drunk driving. It is disappointing that Image Movers, the production company, and Paramount chose to use one of our brands in this manner.
“We have asked the studio to obscure the Budweiser trademark in current digital copies of the movie and on all subsequent adaptations of the film, including DVD, On Demand, streaming and additional prints not yet distributed to theaters.”
According to USA Today , Denzel Washington’s character drinks quite a bit throughout the recently released motion picture. Not surprisingly, the company isn’t happy that their products are being associated with an alcoholic pilot.
However, Budweiser isn’t the only beverage consumed by Washington’s character in Flight . William Grant & Sons explained that producers didn’t receive permission to use its products in the film. Even if the filmmakers had made the request, the company stated that they would not have licensed their brands for inclusion in the movie.
The Associated Press reports that Budweiser may have a hard time convincing Paramount Pictures to remove the beer from Flight . Directors can use any product they want in their films as long as it has some sort of artistic merit.
Do you think producers should remove of obscure images of Budweiser beer in the Denzel Washington drama Flight ?