Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong, and Tom Hiddleston are all really good British actors who are being repurposed as vague villains- and possible paid one million dollars, pinky to corner of mouth – by Jaguar for a glitzy Super Bowl ad campaign that features tuxedos, cliches, and the sexy F-Type Coupe.
“Rendezvous: The Set Up” offers viewers a 30-second teaser featuring only Sir Kingsley. He says things like, “So they’re coming… [dramatic pause] all the usual suspects.” Corny if you think about it too much, but there’s some in-the-moment fun to be had when an Oscar winner brings his talents down to the genre commercial world. The spot is directed by Tom Hooper, who won Best Director for The King’s Speech, but it feels like anyone who’s watched Bad Boys II could’ve done this job. I guess Guy Ritchie was busy. Regardless, it’s a very British production for Jaguar USA and the Super Bowl ad push. Spark44, Jaguar’s in-house agency, handled creative duties for “British Villains,” which could go down as the straightforward title of the year.