Clive Owen Revs Back Into Action in Continuation of BMW Short Film Series; Newest Episode Directed By Neill Blomkamp

In 2001 and 2002, BMW released a series of eight short films called "The Hire" that starred Clive Owen as a slick getaway driver. They were a precursor to movies like Drive and The Transporter, and one of the coolest aspects was that each short was directed by a well-known filmmaker and featured other movie star talent.

We've known that District 9 filmmaker Neill Blomkamp has been working on a mystery project with Jon Bernthal and Dakota Fanning because he teased the project on his Instagram:

Really enjoyed working with @jonnybernthal and @dakotafanning on this new project. Always wanted to direct one of these....

A photo posted by Brownsnout (@neillblomkamp) on Sep 19, 2016 at 4:20pm PDT

And today, we've finally found out what that project is.

BMW has announced (via ComingSoon) that the company is resurrecting the short film series to celebrate its 15th anniversary, and Clive Owen is returning to reprise his role as the mysterious Driver. The first new short is called The Escape, and Blomkamp is directing it. (In addition to Owen, Bernthal, and Fanning, it also stars Vera Farmiga.) The bad news: The Escape isn't online yet. It'll premiere on BMWFilms.com on Sunday, October 23rd at 6:00pm EST.

With The Escape, Blomkamp joins the A-list stable of original BMW Films directors from the seminal project including Academy Award winners Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Ang Lee; Joe Carnahan, Wong Kar-wai, Guy Ritchie, John Woo and the late John Frankenheimer and Tony Scott. “The Hire” also featured A-list talent in front of the camera including: Gary Oldman, Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker, Mickey Rourke, James Brown, Don Cheadle, Madonna, Adriana Lima, Danny Trejo, Kathryn Morris, Marilyn Manson, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick and Dennis Haysbert.

Here's a teaser for the new short, and below that, check out some of the older entries in "The Hire" series:

Clive Owen is back and you're not going to want to miss this. Full film coming soon to BMWFilms.com!

The Hire is a series of short films made by BMW together with some of the worlds best directors. Hostage - starring Clive Owen and the BMW Z4. Directed by John Woo.

The Hire is a series of short films made by BMW together with some of the worlds best directors. Ticker - starring Clive Owen and the BMW Z4. Directed by Joe Carnahan.

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