BMW of North America announced the return of BMW Films this week, with Oscar nominee Clive Owen (Children of Men) set to reprise his role as the series’ mysterious wheelman known as “The Driver” for a short film directed by District 9 and Chappie filmmaker Neill Blomkamp. The film, titled The Escape, will premiere next month on BMWFilms.com.
BMW Films released a short featurette teasing the return of the short film series.
The Escape is the follow-up to the 2001-2002 series The Hire, an eight-part project that had Owen portraying a tough-as-nails driver hired to complete dangerous missions, with each installment of the series directed by a well-known filmmaker. Along with showcasing some serious action both behind the wheel and outside the car, the series also showcased various BMW automobiles.
Among the high-profile names behind the camera for that original series were Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Ang Lee, Joe Carnahan, Guy Ritchie, John Woo, and Tony Scott.
While Owen’s character was featured in each part of the series, The Hire also included supporting roles for Gary Oldman, Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker, Mickey Rourke, James Brown, Don Cheadle, Madonna, Adriana Lima, Danny Trejo, Kathryn Morris, Marilyn Manson, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, and Dennis Haysbert, among other familiar faces.
The Escape will bring Owen back as The Driver, and he’ll be joined by Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Daredevil), and Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air). The script for the film was penned by Blomkamp and David Carter.
The Escape will premiere Sunday, October 23, at 6 p.m. ET on BMWFilms.com.
