In a major shift within advertising, Hollywood directors are taking on a more prominent role in creating commercials for the Super Bowl, the biggest advertising event in the United States. The 2026 Super Bowl features nine commercials—nearly 14% of the total spots—helmed by well-known filmmakers, signaling a notable trend of A-list directors crafting Super Bowl ads. This phenomenon reflects how the focus on premium cinematic storytelling and production value has grown within these high-stakes marketing campaigns.
Key Filmmakers Behind the 2026 Super Bowl Spots
This year’s lineup includes notable Hollywood figures directing memorable commercials: Yorgos Lanthimos directs two spots, including a noir-themed Squarespace ad starring Emma Stone and Grubhub’s Super Bowl debut featuring George Clooney. Spike Jonze enlisted Benson Boone and Ben Stiller, clad in green jumpsuits, for Instacart’s commercial. Taika Waititi returns with sequels and fresh ideas for Lay’s, Jurassic Park for Xfinity, and a playful Pepsi polar bear spot. Joseph Kosinski, director of Top Gun: Maverick, takes Kurt Russell skiing in an Olympics-inspired Michelob Ultra ad. Brian Klugman draws on nostalgia for T-Mobile with the Backstreet Boys, and the creative duo of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, under their Artists Equity banner, deliver Dunkin’s third consecutive Super Bowl commercial.
The Increasing Trend of Celebrity Directors in Super Bowl Ads Over Recent Years
The number of Hollywood directors working on Super Bowl ads has climbed steadily over the past few years, rising from six in 2023 to ten in 2024, and peaking at twelve in 2025. That year especially saw multiple contributions by Taika Waititi and Ben Affleck. Hollywood’s growing involvement reflects a broader industry shift towards cinematic quality in advertisements that rely heavily on star power and high production values.
Why Brands Are Investing in Hollywood Directors for Their Super Bowl Spots
The primary motivation for brands to hire Hollywood directors for their Super Bowl ads is money. With the 2025 Super Bowl drawing a record audience of 127.7 million viewers, the cost of a 30-second ad reached $8 million and even stretched to $10 million for the 60th Super Bowl. These enormous figures justify budgets that allow brands to secure top-tier directing talent to make an impact.
The bottom line is that the budgets have gone up,
said Petur Workman, managing director at The Workman Agency and former creative director at Chiat\Day.
The need for high-quality cinematic content has gone up. Brands are utilizing more big name or cinematic directors because they need the wow factor.
This financial investment translates into director fees that range from $500,000 to over $2 million based on the director’s prestige, project scope, and level of involvement, according to data from XR (Extreme Reach). These fees generally account for 5% to 7% of a typical Super Bowl ad budget, with overall costs often falling between $10 million and $20 million.
The Pressure and Complexity Driving Brands Toward Established Filmmakers
When you’re putting that much money behind a Super Bowl spot, advertisers tend to gravitate toward directors they trust, either people with a proven Super Bowl track record or established Hollywood filmmakers,
explained Graham McKenna, CMO of XR.
As these ads get bigger and more complicated, with larger celebrity casts and very little room for error, brands want directors who are comfortable working at that scale and under that level of pressure.
Beyond their reputation, Hollywood directors bring an outside perspective when brands feel their usual agency partners are falling short. However, Workman warns that brands must be fully committed to their vision for the director to remain engaged:
The Hollywood director will walk off set,
he said, in contrast to
an agency that will just bend over backward for the brand.
Evolution of Advertising Budgets and Celebrity Involvement
Super Bowl commercial budgets aren’t the only ones swelling; advertising spending in the U.S. nearly doubled over the last three decades, from $175 billion in 1996 to a projected $361 billion in 2025, per IbisWorld data. Celebrities, who once only appeared in foreign ads to avoid U.S. audiences, are now fully invested in domestic campaigns. This shift is visible in instances like George Clooney assisting Nikki Glaser with a Nespresso machine at the 2026 Golden Globes, highlighting the collaboration between talent and brand narratives.
Josh Fell, CCO at agency Anomaly, notes significant changes in celebrity attitudes toward commercials:
The trend is that celebrities are willing to be involved, and not have it be all about them,
he said.
There used to be a level of ego: ‘If I’m going to be involved, this will be my story.’
The Prestige of Directory Commercials in a Shifting Media Landscape
Thirty years ago, music videos were a key prestige project for filmmakers; however, as MTV pivoted to reality TV and music industry revenues fell, those opportunities declined. Directing commercials has now become a valuable avenue for filmmakers to maintain visibility and creative expression. According to Workman,
When I talk to directors about why they’re shooting TV commercials, they really say it’s a prestige piece,
adding,
’It gets me high-profile eyeballs, but it doesn’t detract from my primary career.’
Actors Influencing Directorial Choices on Commercial Projects
Sometimes the involvement of actors drives directorial selection. For example, Emma Stone’s involvement with Squarespace’s spots led to Yorgos Lanthimos joining as director. David Lee, chief brand and creative officer at Squarespace, told ADWEEK,
We’ve long been fans of Emma and had been waiting for the right idea to bring to her,
continuing,
After Emma came on board, she brought the idea to Yorgos, and it unfolded very organically from there. The concept required a very specific tone and performance, deeply emotional, but also inherently humorous. Together, they delivered exactly what the idea demanded.
Why Hollywood Directors Find Super Bowl Commercials Appealing
Beyond financial rewards, top filmmakers like Taika Waititi appreciate the creative opportunities commercials provide. After starting his advertising work in 2008, Waititi has become a prolific Super Bowl director, helming four ads in 2025 alone, including the widely praised Lay’s Little Farmer series. For 2026, he produced a sequel to Little Farmer, a Pepsi Challenge, and an alternate sentimental ending for the Jurassic Park-themed Xfinity spot.
Waititi described commercials as a testing ground:
Selfishly, I’ve used the world of making commercials as my filmmaking gym,
he said in an interview with Fast Company.
It’s fun to play with the creative space, and it’s not as risky for me when I’m making commercials.
Fast Production Timelines Add Excitement for Filmmakers
The rapid production schedule of Super Bowl commercials is another attraction. Andrew Panay, producer known for Wedding Crashers and founder of Panay Films, has worked with T-Mobile on multiple ads since 2019, including the 2026 commercial featuring the Backstreet Boys. Panay recalled shooting the ad on a Saturday in New York City, while simultaneously working on a film across the river in New Jersey. He explained,
It’s not sitting on the shelf for six months,
adding,
It’s like, ‘When did you shoot that? Shot it Friday. It’ll be on air 10 days later.’ There’s something about the run and gun. It’s so nuts, but it’s so exciting.
Hollywood Talent Elevating Advertising Creativity Beyond Traditional Channels
The growing involvement of established filmmakers promises to raise the overall quality and creativity of Super Bowl advertisements and other major commercials. Petur Workman emphasized the importance of relying on skilled creators to captivate audiences in an increasingly crowded media environment:
In order to keep good content on the television and on your device or what have you outside of the theater, brands are going to have to find more creative ways to get the attention of people,
he said.
And it isn’t through influencers, it isn’t through ad agencies—it’s through talented, educated, passionate, creative folks.
