Here’s your look at what might be Italian release posters for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave, which turned up online over the weekend. Initially there was just one with Brad Pitt, which originated on the Tumblr blog Carefree Black Girl, where the blog’s author, who says she lives in Italy, claims she saw the poster at her local movie theater, and snapped the below photo. 

Since then, however, another image has appeared – this one with both Pitt and Michael Fassbender.

Our research can’t confirm nor deny whether these are indeed the real posters or a Photoshop job. And the film’s international distributor Summit Entertainment (owned by Lionsgate) hasn’t publicly addressed this, although given how fast the images have spread and been picked up by other media outlets, and the controversy caused, the distribution company will probably eventually say something.

If these are real, I could go on and on about it, but why should I? It pretty much speaks for itself. The obvious reason for it would be that Pitt and Fassbender, being international stars, will attract more Italian audiences. Their faces sells tickets, not Chiwetel Ejiofor’s, and if the poster advertised what the film is really about, no one in Italy would go see the film.

We wait to hear what Summit/Lionsgate has to say about it, if anything.

One thing for sure it’s funnier than anything Saturday Night Live has done in years.

Interestingly though, the trailer for the Italian release of the film looks like the American release. Nothing in it that emphasizes Brad Pitt or Fassbender.

Take a look at the posters first. And watch the Italian trailer underneath it: