This Sprawling International Thriller for HP Business Printers Is an Epic, Cautionary Tale

When shopping for a printer, how highly does online safety and protection rank? For the average consumer, it’s likely not very high on the list of must-have components, even for businesses. HP and agency Giant Spoon x Zac&Adam are determined to change that with a star-studded campaign so elaborate, it deserves its own cinematic release. Launching its third film in “The Wolf” series, Christian Slater reprises his role as a breezy, charmingly confident hacker determined to illustrate just how crucial printer security is. In this cinematic brand masterstroke, Slater goes up against Breaking Bad star Jonathan Banks and the thoroughly stellar Betty Adewole in a 20-minute action short entitled “The Wolf: True Alpha” which was directed by Lance Acord and filmed on location in Europe. [kickout id="1"] To better understand the evolution and ambition of the series, one can go back to February 2017, when HP released the first, comparatively short, 6-minute 22-second film called “The Wolf,” which sets the tone by revealing that less than 2 percent of the hundreds of thousands of business printers are secure. Knowing this, the Wolf begins to prey on a poor, unsuspecting company by hacking the unprotected printers with his phone. With minimal diversion he’s able to intercept the entire building’s print jobs and access mounds of sensitive information, making him the only one with the power to bring the firm to its knees. [kickout id="2"] Even as he commits deeds so treacherous, the Wolf is not particularly vengeful. He’s just very intent on showing the security holes in a business’s most unassuming equipment. His capabilities, however, make him dangerous beyond measure. Even scarier, his path to chaos is entirely plausible and should be considered a significant concern for any business. As if that wasn’t scary enough, HP released a sequel three months later titled “The Wolf: The Hunt Continues,” where Slater hatches a chilling plan that requires him to hack a hospital. This time the stakes are even higher, as his dirty work involves adjusting someone’s medication dosage. Again, the tech-proficient mastermind is both evil and plausible. [kickout id="3"] But it’s the third, most recent episode of the series that really takes the cake. The film elevates the series beyond a collection of cautionary tales and turns it into a fully fleshed-out tech thriller with in-depth characters. It's well worth 20 minutes of your time. While watching this heart-racing game of cat and mouse not only do you question which side you’re rooting for, you nearly forget that this is an ad for business printers. CREDITS: Client - HP Chief Marketing & Communications Officer: Antonio Lucio Global Head of Marketing HP Imaging and Printing: Vikrant Batra Director, Office Printing Solutions Worldwide Marketing: Darren Needham-Walker Campaign Manager, Office Printing Solutions Worldwide Marketing: Cindy Ibabarriaga Manager, Office Printing Solutions Worldwide Marketing: David Hackney Agency: Giant Spoon x Zac&Adam Giant Spoon co-founder: Jon Haber Creative director (CW): Zac Ryder Creative director (AD): Adam Groves Producer: Esther Perls Producer: Eric Voegele Digital Producer: Andy Caramanzana Account Director: Nikki Peddie Strategy Director: Adam Wiese / Dania Aguayo Strategists: Mariel Strauch & Madeline Reeves Business Affairs: Catherine Huang Production: Park Pictures Director/DP: Lance Acord EP/Producer: Caroline Kousidonis EP: Jackie Kelman Bisbee Head of Production: Anne Bobroff Editorial: Exile Editor: Conor O’Neill Assistant Editor: Rex Lowry Executive Producer: CL Weaver Producer: Michael Miller Finishing: A52 Lead Flame: Patrick Murphy Producer: Michael Steinmann Executive Producer: Pat Nugent Color: MPC Colorist: Mark Geithen Producer: Rebecca Boorsma EP: Meghan Lang Music: We Are Walker Executive Producer: Stephanie Pigott Audio: Barking Owl Mix: Mike Franklin EP: Kelly Bayett Producer: Ashley Benton Sound Design: Morgan Johnson