Pirelli to debut second Web movie to promote its PZero tires

Jan. 31, 2007

Pirelli Tyre SpA will once more launch a short film via the Internet to promote its tires.

The second edition, called "Mission Zero," will star Uma Thurman and be directed by Kathryn Bigelow of "Strange Days" and "Point Break" fame.

Thurman was chosen because she "is an actress who best represents the concept of speed and power in the collective mind of the international public," according to the company. But, it adds, her "speed and power will be nothing without control."

She will be driving a fiery Lamborghini Gallardo with PZero tires, speeding through the streets of Los Angeles to escape mysterious assassins who suddenly appear and try to kill her for no apparent reason.

Last year, choosing the Internet as the distribution channel turned out to be a great idea, the company says. In just a few months the movie was accessed from 216 countries and independent territories.

It had more than 5 million film views in less than a year, equal to a share of more than 1.1% of the entire Internet broadband population, according to the Internet World Stats and Nielsen Net Ratings.