Advertisement

Nike’s World Cup commercial showcases Iñárritu’s filmmaking flair

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Writer-director Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose films include “Babel,” “Amores Perros,” “21 Grams” and the Cannes Film Festival premiere “Biutiful,” has shown a unique talent in weaving together seemingly unrelated narratives into a coherent whole.

Rarely has that skill been on greater display than with a new Nike soccer commercial that was unveiled Thursday ahead of next month’s World Cup.

Advertisement

Called “Write the Future,” the three-minute Nike ad stars soccer legends Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Landon Donovan and Ronaldinho. There are also quick appearances from the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, a pingpong-playing Roger Federer and television’s Homer Simpson. In one sequence in the commercial, the Mexican-born director imagines how Rooney’s life might have turned out had a particular soccer play not gone well for the star of Manchester United and England’s World Cup team.

The commercial was made at advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy. Trevor Edwards, Nike’s vice president for brand and category management, has said that the spot is one of the best Nike has ever turned out.

Will it sell Nike apparel? Who knows? But the ad is certainly going to elevate Iñárritu’s status as a storyteller, even as he waits for a Cannes buyer for “Biutiful” to come forward.

-- John Horn


Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.


Advertisement