Jon Favreau is trying to reinvent the publicity machine.  He's seen how it's been done in the past and is clearly trying to come up with new ways to market his movies to fans.  With Cowboys & Aliens, it looks like he's getting some leeway to control that publicity. At WonderCon, he pledged that only the folks in the room would get a sneak peek at the aliens and further images of the creatures wouldn't be spoiled in the trailers, TV spots, and other press materials.  He's also planning to hold the film's world premiere at this year's Comic-Con.

Now he's foregoing the standard EPK (electronic press kit) with its boring, talking-head interviews by taking on the role of the interviewer and speaking candidly with his cast.  The result is far more entertaining as you can see from his first interview series with Harrison Ford.  The conversations are reminiscent of Favreau's short-lived Showtime series Dinner for Five and nowadays if you can see video of Ford not acting grumpy, that video is worth your time.  Hit the jump to check out the first series of interviews.  Cowboys & Aliens opens July 29th.

Interviews via The Huffington Post.

Here's the official synopsis for Cowboys & Aliens:

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents--townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors--all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

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