Christian Bale Cut from Public Enemies Artwork

The answer to the question that has been on every body’s lips for the last few weeks has finally been answered: Why in the name of my soiled church panties is Johnny Depp on the posters for Public Enemies, while our beloved Christian Bale is notably absent from most of the promotion?

Depsite reports that Señor Bale is on the panty creamer list of 50% of female cinema goers with daddy issues, only his co-star features on the main poster. Movie producers did not even really make use of Sherlock Holmes style character posters. It was all chin pubes, all the time.

E! Online explain why in the heck this movie’s promotion suffers a lack of Bale.

According to the ever-reliable Ulmer Scale, which measures domestic and worldwide actor bankability, Depp is overshadowed only by Will Smith in his ability to get butts in seats. Brad Pitt comes in at No. 3 on the Ulmer Scale. Bale, who may be a very talented actor, is not so bankable an actor; he is not even on the current Ulmer top 10.

If Universal Pictures wanted to add Bale to the marketing posters, they would have had to either squeeze him in there with Depp or create separate posters, in the same way Warner Bros. did when marketing Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The first option would have diluted Depp’s selling power, says David Eichler, a publicist who has worked at Hollywood über-agency CAA and at studios such as Warner Bros., Fox and Disney. The second option might work, but then again, in a way, Bale is no Cate Blanchett. At least, not in his ability to attract men like Blanchett can. (moar that will make fangirls cry over at Answer Bish)