By Alan Baldwin
Feb 9 (Reuters) – Cadillac Formula One CEO Dan Towriss said he hoped for an amicable settlement to legal action taken by Hollywood director Michael Bay over a livery launch commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The spot showed the as-yet unnamed black and white car to be raced by Formula One’s 11th and newest entrants this season, with backing from General Motors.
The Athletic and Rolling Stone reported Bay, director of big-budget hits “Transformers” and “Armageddon”, filed a $1.5 million breach of contract and fraud lawsuit in Los Angeles on Friday alleging the team and Towriss had used his ideas without payment.
Rolling Stone said he filed the lawsuit after material related to the advert was released online before Sunday’s launch.
“We have a lot of respect for Michael,” Towriss told reporters on a video call on Monday. “I think it’s disappointing that he chose to do that (legal response).
“Certainly, all of the creative (work) was done well in advance of ever speaking with him. We were wanting to talk to him about a role as director, not taking creative ideas from him.
“We are confident it will be resolved amicably.”
Towriss, speaking to reporters from New York, hailed the launch as a “huge success”.
He confirmed that the cost was comparable to the $10 million that China’s Dreame Technology said it paid for a 30 second commercial during the Super Bowl to showcase its planned electric luxury car.
The Cadillac advert referenced a 1961 speech by the late president John F Kennedy announcing the aim of putting an American on the moon by the end of the decade.
“We wanted the car to be the star of the show, and I think with the JFK piece that was a very unifying moment and it captured a lot of the emotions that went into this team, of this kind of unbridled determination to win and to compete,” said Towriss.
“You can say we’re competing against the other teams, but really Formula One is competing against other sports,” he said.
“And so I think as teams we need to continue to find innovative ways to draw that interest, do storytelling and reach out to fans.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Alison Williams)
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