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Drew Struzan, who passed away this week, has probably burned some of his artwork into your mind at some point. Over the past almost 40 years, Struzan’s timeless artistry has given us some of the most famous movie posters of all time, illustrating classic after classic.
To celebrate his legacy, we’re taking a walk down memory lane with a collection and reminder of the best of a career filled with all-time bests, but in particular his work from across the realms of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror (plus a few more we couldn’t resist).
Okay, we’re cheating a little to start off—but it’s too perfect not to include here. This Dark Tower art wasn’t for a Dark Tower movie but instead for use in the opening of the 2007 King adaptation The Mist. Thomas Jane’s David Drayton, an illustrator himself, is seen working on this hypothetical movie poster before things kick off.
Just another absolute icon of ’80s poster work—there’s just so much going on here, and all of it good, but Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton standing tall over it all is priceless.
In many ways, Struzan is as Star Wars as any concept artist or designer was to the galaxy far, far away: his poster work, from the original’s re-release all the way to the special poster he crafted for The Force Awakens post-retirement, is some of the most defining imagery of the whole franchise. We’re focusing on theatrical posters here, but we’d be remiss not to mention the dozens more illustrations Struzan did to cover the books of Star Wars‘ expanded universe (including that sumptuous cover to the wonderfully infamous Courtship of Princess Leia).
Struzan first started painting this artwork for Blade Runner‘s original theatrical release in 1982, but it was ultimately passed on, leaving the piece unfinished for nearly two decades. When Ridley Scott returned to Blade Runner to release the director’s cut of the film, he went back to Struzan to ask if the piece could finally be completed, giving it the spotlight it deserved.
Struzan also provided this classic depiction of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy for Hocus Pocus‘ 1993 release.
If Struzan became part of Star Wars through his posters, then he is the Indiana Jones series. Struzan’s style perfectly captures the romanticized adventure of Indy, and his poster work defined the visual language of the series for so many people. Unfortunately, Struzan was firmly into retirement and couldn’t work on Dial of Destiny, but like with Star Wars, he illustrated tons of ancillary work for the series, including book covers and artwork for the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series. A special shoutout, however, has to go to his iconic poster for the iconic Indy ride at Disneyland, Indiana Jones Adventure.
Struzan illustrated the posters for the whole Back to the Future trilogy, cleverly building on his idea for the first film to slowly incorporate more and more characters and detailing as the movies progressed—making for a set that any poster collector simply can’t just own one of.
There are so many fun textural details to Struzan’s work on the early ’90s classic, which, like so many of his best posters, draws on tons of elements from the film itself—but that treasure map backing is just absolutely perfect.
If Struzan was iconic for his ability to capture movie star likenesses—actual human beings—then seeing him turn that craft to the Muppets across several of their most beloved movies was a true delight.
And again, playing against type—a singular figure, no likeness to capture—Struzan ultimately made one of the most chilling and iconic horror movie posters of all time.
The Goonies poster, much like the film itself, has grown in appreciation with time, especially with its very clever setupconveying Struzan’s usual montage of figures in a unique way.
Struzan became solid friends with Guillermo del Toro, star Ron Perlman, and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola after he was commissioned to develop the poster for the original Hellboy movie, even if it was ultimately never used. He returned in a roundabout way for The Golden Army, providing its incredibly striking SDCC-exclusive poster in 2008.
Sure, say what you will about the movie. But if this isn’t a damn good poster—another SDCC exclusive, this time for 2011. Struzan could capture Harrison Ford at any age.
Another case for Struzan making magic out of a film that hasn’t had the warmest of pop culture histories, Return to Oz is another wonderful example of Struzan turning his prowess towards less-human subjects and still delivering something incredible.
Saving one of the very best for the last of our walk through Struzan’s archives, the E.T. poster is one of the purest examples of what made the artist’s work timeless: evoking that sense of wanderlust and romantic nostalgia with every brushstroke.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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The beloved artist, who illustrated iconic posters for 'Star Wars', 'Indiana Jones', 'Back to the Future', and more, was 78.
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