"Talkin' like Walken!"– The BMW Super Bowl Commercial 2024

This year’s BMW Super Bowl commercial starring Christopher Walken combines humour and star power.

After a two-year break, BMW is back with a Super Bowl commercial for the new BMW 5 Series and the electric i5 cars. The protagonist of the ad is US actor Christopher Walken, who is known for films such as “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Catch Me If You Can” (2002). The commercial will be part of the Super Bowl Halftime Show on 12.02.2024, in which the Kansas City Chiefs will compete against the San Francisco 49ers.

In the commercial “Talkin’ Like Walken,” Walken confidently gets into his new BMW. However, as a Hollywood star, he also faces a problem: the people around him imitate his unmistakable accent, characterised by a deep, nasal tone and unusual intonations. From the doorman to the shop assistant at the drive-in or a pedestrian (Ashley Park, Emily in Paris), everyone mimics Walken’s distinctive speech. Nothing Walken hasn’t heard before, as the actor reacts rather annoyed, exclaiming “come on” and doesn’t play along with the joke.

Even the R&B singer Usher imitates Walken in the restaurant, prompting Walken to reply, “Don’t you got somewhere to be?” A smooth transition to the Super Bowl since Usher is this year’s music act for the Halftime Show at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. As Walken drives away in his BMW 5 at the end of the ad, the message is clear: “There’s only one Christopher Walken and only one Ultimate Driving Machine. The rest are just imitations.”

In the current Super Bowl commercial, Walken promotes the eighth generation of the BMW 5 Series. The BMW i5 is the first model to be available with an all-electric drive. Behind the advert is the creative agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), which is responsible for the US BMW market. With Bryan Buckley as director and Hoyte van Hoytema (Oppenheimer, Interstellar) working behind the camera, two well-known figures were involved in the Super Bowl spot. The commercial with Christopher Walken is part of a cross-channel campaign for BMW as the hashtag #TalkinlikeWalken is already encouraging social media users to share their own Walken impersonations.