BMW reprises its role as filmmaker

NEW YORK -- BMW will produce a short film to mark the 15th anniversary of its original series.

The new film will debut on bmwfilms.com at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Oct. 23. The 10-minute film is called “The Escape,” and features Hollywood stars.

Trudy Hardy, vice president of marketing for BMW of North America, said the film will pay tribute to the original eight-film series that began airing in 2001.

“It is the most admired work we had,” she said.

BMW released a teaser at the Automotive News Marketing Seminar this week but gave no further details about the film’s content. Hardy said the film will feature one car.

Hardy was joined by Bodil Eriksson, Volvo Car USA’s vice president of marketing and communications; Jaguar Land Rover’s Vice President of Marketing Kim McCullough; and Vinay Shahani, Volkswagen of America’s senior vice president of marketing.

The next major model BMW will launch is the redesigned 5-series sedan, scheduled to go on sale in the United States in 2017.

The former films had 100 million views “before high-speed Internet or YouTube,” and BMW expects even higher popularity for “The Escape,” Hardy said.

The film by Academy Award-nominated director Neill Blomkamp will feature actor Clive Owen as the driver -- a role he had in the original films. It will also feature Dakota Fanning, Jon Bernthal and Vera Farmiga.

Hardy said BMW has considered reviving the films every five years. This film, unlike the originals that were developed only the United States, is a global effort, she said.