Michael Bay sues Cadillac F1 over Super Bowl ad in $1.5m lawsuit

Michael Bay has filed a lawsuit against Formula 1 team Cadillac F1, alleging his creative ideas were used without permission in the team’s recent Super Bowl commercial.

The filmmaker is seeking $1.5 million in damages, according to a 19-page complaint filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit claims Cadillac F1’s principal owner and chief executive, Dan Towriss, appropriated Bay’s concepts before abruptly deciding not to work with him.

Cadillac confirmed to the Associated Press that it met with Bay but said the director was unable to meet the team’s production timeline.

“It became clear he couldn’t meet our timeline, and there ultimately wasn’t a path forward,” the team said, adding that it was unclear why Bay had brought the claim.

Cadillac said the concept and creative direction for the advertisement had already been developed before discussions with Bay and that he had only been considered for a potential directing role. The team said it remained confident the dispute would be resolved and praised Bay’s work, adding that it would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with him in the future.

The Super Bowl advert, broadcast on Sunday, featured the unveiling of a new Cadillac Formula 1 car alongside excerpts from a speech by former US president John F Kennedy, including his famous “We choose to go to the Moon” address.

Bay’s lawsuit alleges he previously showed Towriss a seven-minute clip from Transformers: Dark of the Moon in which the same speech was used, claiming Towriss responded enthusiastically.

Towriss has denied the allegations, saying Bay was never expected to contribute creatively to the advert.

“Our reaction is that we have a lot of respect for Michael, but we’re disappointed he chose to file a lawsuit,” Towriss said. “All of the creative work was done well in advance of speaking with him.”

Cadillac said the commercial was developed by its creative agency and described the Super Bowl campaign as a success.

Cadillac is set to join Formula 1 as the sport’s 11th team this season, with Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez listed as its drivers. The team will take part in testing in Bahrain this week ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 8.