The New Jaguar Land Rover Commercial
Jaguar Land Rover’s new Land Rover Defender commercial sparked a lot of interest taking the audience to a behind the scenes tour of the sets of the latest Bond movie, ‘No Time to Die’ where Defender performs breathtaking stunts in a chase sequence. The new Defender has already been winning hearts since it was first unveiled in September 2019. Soon after its release, JLR experienced a fast surge of demand which outstripped supply. The television commercial highlights the toughness and extraordinary off-road capabilities of the new Defender model. The commercial opens with the Defender launching into the air and then rushing down a hilly terrain at really crazy speed followed by motorcycles and more defenders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Oc4g_CtZc&feature=emb_logo
No Time to Die was scheduled to be released in April 2020, but following the outbreak of Coronavirus which has disrupted all the major markets, its release has been postponed. After considering the situation of the global cinema market, MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced in a press release that they had postponed the release of the movie till November 2020. It will be released on November 12 in the United Kingdom, and on November 25 in the United States. Worldwide release dates will follow after the film’s release in the United Kingdom which is severely affected by Corona right now.
The producers have used ten Defenders in the latest Bond movie. In the one minute long commercial, Defender 110 is put to extreme tests of toughness and driven through rocks and swamps at a crazy speed. Near the end of the commercial, Defender turns turtle but again gets back on the four wheels. The last stunt reminds of Bumblebee for a moment. The action sequences in No Time to Die also include other JLR models. However, fans around the world were disappointed when the release dates were postponed but there is no other way out currently since people will not come out of self-confinement to enjoy one of the most awaited releases of the year. It is better to wait for a few months for the producers as well as the fans of the movie.
In the meantime, JLR decided to highlight their old connection with Bond movies through the commercial. JLR had already gained a lot of interest when it released the new Defender. However, it decided to sustain the interest and gain more limelight through the commercial. This commercial is different in the sense that it highlights nothing else but only the toughness of the model. It does not highlight other aspects like beautiful interiors or safety but only the toughness. In this way, the commercial targets the adventure lovers mainly and the Bond fans. Everything is different about Bond including his choice of weapons, stunts and the vehicles he rides. Mostly Bond’s preferred rise is the Aston Martin and not a Defender. However, the show Defender puts on for a few minutes in the commercial would put every other choice to shame.
In the words of Lee Morrison, the stunt coordinator who led the chase sequence in No Time to Die,
We pushed the Defender further than we believed possible to generate the maximum excitement, and to give fans an insight into the uncompromising challenge of producing an incredible chase sequence which you can look forward to seeing in No Time To Die.
Lee Morrison, Stunt Coordinator.
Answering the question, why Defender was the best choice for the particular scene, JLR writes, Land Rover’s pioneering off-road tech, wading ability, and extreme durability made the new Defender the natural choice for the chase sequence in No Time To Die.
Lee Morrison had handpicked Jessica Hawkins from the formula 3W series seeing her potential to test the Defender in the chase sequence. Hawkins was a lot excited to feature as a stunt driver in a Bond movie.
“It doesn’t get any more exhilarating than being a stunt driver in a James Bond movie and it’s an honour to be a part of this incredible movie driving the new Defender.”
Jessica Hawkins. Stunt Driver.
SUVs have kept growing in demand with time and more or less every major automobile brand has a nice range of SUVs. However, the charm of JLR is certainly distinct and it deepens when Defender stretches its muscles in ‘No Time to Die’. Bond fans around the world would have to wait to experience the thrill. Coronavirus has eclipsed the movie industry and No Time to Die as well as several more movies that were scheduled to be released around April had their release dates pushed back for six months or indefinitely. Bond fans would patiently wait until then to see Bond beating his rivals in a Defender. The commercial has still successfully grown our expectations from the movie and JLR’s Defender 110 which is undoubtedly a beast made for the toughest terrains.