Michael Bay Sues Cadillac For Stealing Ideas For Super Bowl Commercial

From the Bad Boys films and Armageddon to Pain & Gain, the Transformers franchise, and more, Michael Bay has established a signature filmmaking style defined by kinetic action, American iconography, and sweeping cinematography. To say his films have inspired a generation of filmmakers would be an understatement. However, the director and producer is now seeking restitution after a project allegedly took more than just inspiration from him and his work.

In a $1.5 million lawsuit filed in Los Angeles last week, Bay claimed that Cadillac entered into a contract with him to conceptualize, produce, and direct the Super Bowl ad announcing its entry into Formula 1 competition, only to sever ties with him and then use his ideas without paying him, as reported by Rolling Stone.

The 19-page breach of contract and fraud suit alleges that Dan Towriss — owner/CEO of the fledgling Cadillac F1 team — reached out to Bay in November on a mission to secure "the most American director" available for the high-profile project. It was further claimed that Bay put projects at Amazon, Apple, Paramount Pictures, and Universal on hold to accept Towriss' offer to helm the pricey announcement spot, which aired later during the broadcast of Super Bowl LX.

According to the suit, though, Towriss opted to go in a different direction midway through production, bringing in another director to complete the project, after Bay and his team had already put in significant work on the ad and shaped what it would ultimately become.

Read the lawsuit:

They planned all along to rip him off. They wanted a 'Michael Bay' commercial, in other words, at a bargain-basement price.

Bay claimed that he was asked to complete production on the ad on an "extreme rush basis," and that he was given assurances when he voiced concerns about working with a third-party ad agency, allegedly telling Towriss, "They steal my ideas. They try to pick my brain and give these ideas to younger, cheaper commercial directors."

Per the complaint, promotional materials related to the ad that leaked online prior to Super Bowl LX, included specific elements proposed by Bay when he and his team were working on the production. And it's difficult to view the finished commercial without sensing the similarity between what was produced and the style that Bay has established across his multi-decade career in Hollywood. Bay also reportedly asked Towriss point-blank if he was being hired for the project after making his pitch.

Amid claims of breach of verbal contract, breach of implied-in-face contract, and fraud, Bay is seeking a judgment including compensatory damages of at least $1.5 million, in addition to punitive damages.

Michael Bay is currently attached as director to the upcoming films "OutRun" (with Sydney Sweeney), Robopocalypse, and the untitled Skibidi Toilet film.