Starring role for golden JCB machines

Company’s biggest product-placement exercise ever as more than £1 million worth of machines appear in cult film

A FLEET of more than 20 JCB machines is playing a starring role in a cult film following the biggest product-placement project in the company’s history.

Skid-steer loaders, Loadall telehandlers and JS excavators were supplied to 20th Century Fox for the making of the new Alien Covenant film, which hit UK cinema screens last Friday.

Starring alongside Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston, the machines are wrapped in gold livery – the idea of British film director and producer Ridley Scott, designed to give them a futuristic look.

JCB’s worldwide marketing director, Michael Plummer, said: ‘This is the biggest product-placement exercise in JCB’s history and involved more than £1 million worth of machines.

‘Ridley Scott’s idea to wrap the machines in gold delivered a stunning result and is certainly an eye-catching addition to a film which will be seen by millions of people around the world.’

The machines – which appear in the film’s finale – were supplied to the movie set in Sydney, Australia, with the help of JCB dealer Construction Equipment Australia.

Six JCB generators were also provided for the film-makers to use.

The equipment is seen in the so-called ‘terraforming bay’, which carries the means to alter alien environments to make them capable of supporting terrestrial life.

Alien Covenant is set almost 100 years in the future and is the sixth Alien franchise film to be made.