Cadillac and Michael Bay: the Surprise Clash of the Super Bowl!

A commercial aired during the Super Bowl has turned into a clash between Cadillac and director Michael Bay.

Cadillac wanted to make a strong impact for its first season in Formula 1, and for this, it called upon Michael Bay, master of blockbusters and spectacular explosions. Known for Transformers, Armageddon, Bad Boys, and Pearl Harbor, Bay is the reference when it comes to visuals that impress and stick in the memory. In short, the perfect director to turn a commercial into a breathtaking show.

But the story took an unexpected turn: Bay is now demanding $1.5 million from Cadillac for creative idea theft. According to him, his visual concepts, developed in November 2025 for the Super Bowl spot — black and white asymmetrical painting, desert landscapes, and Bay-style editing, featuring an excerpt from JFK’s speech — were used without credit or compensation.

Can a simple idea be protected?

Cadillac, for its part, insists that the ideas existed before the meeting with Bay and that no official contract linked the two parties. No contract, no agreement. No agreement, no money. No money… no money! A polite way of saying: “Thanks, but no thanks.” The commercial aired in front of millions of viewers, exactly the desired effect, but with an angry director on the sidelines.

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This mini-storm highlights a dilemma: how to protect creative ideas when they explode on the largest advertising screen in the United States? Between legal battles and visual spectacles, Cadillac and Michael Bay are offering a serial to follow.

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