Sabrina Carpenter has teamed up with La La Land director Damien Chazelle for a new cinematic Johnnie Walker commercial inspired by French New Wave filmmaking. Unveiled on November 10, 2026, the short film takes the pop star into a jazz-filled nightclub, where an ordinary evening transforms into a colorful celebration. Directed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker and produced by Superprime Films, the project marks the latest chapter in Carpenter’s existing partnership with the whisky brand, combining music, playful storytelling and her distinctive on-screen personality.
Sabrina Carpenter is stepping into the cinematic world of Damien Chazelle for a new advertising film that brings together two artists with strong connections to music and visual storytelling. The director behind La La Land and Whiplash has created the latest installment of her Johnnie Walker partnership, presenting a lively interpretation of the brand’s long-running Keep Walking message.
The commercial begins with Carpenter entering an atmospheric nightclub accompanied by jazz music. She moves through the venue toward the bar, where she picks up a drink made with Johnnie Walker. What initially feels like an ordinary evening gradually becomes more animated as the singer makes her way through the room.
The atmosphere changes as the party builds around her. Confetti fills the air, the music gives the sequence its rhythm, and Carpenter finds friends among the crowd. The scene develops into a shared celebration before she turns toward the camera and delivers the campaign’s closing message: “Keep walking.”
The film draws inspiration from French New Wave cinema, the influential movement associated with unconventional storytelling, visual spontaneity and a willingness to break established filmmaking rules. Rather than recreating a particular classic movie, the commercial adopts that spirit of freedom and experimentation for a contemporary setting.
Chazelle’s involvement is especially fitting given his history of making films in which music shapes the narrative. Whiplash used jazz performance to explore ambition and artistic pressure, while La La Land combined musical numbers with a story about love, creativity and personal aspirations. His approach to movement and rhythm is visible again in the commercial’s nightclub setting.
For Carpenter, working with the director was a creative opportunity she had been excited about. In a statement accompanying the campaign, she explained that she had admired his work for years. The pair wanted to make something playful, surprising and full of personality, rather than simply presenting a conventional advertisement.
The singer described the collaboration as a creative adventure. She emphasized the pleasure of helping bring the visual world to life with Chazelle and suggested that the result captured the energy of the next stage of her artistic journey. Her comments point to the film’s emphasis on personality, movement and a sense of forward momentum.
The production was handled by Superprime Films and forms part of Johnnie Walker’s wider music-focused promotional activities. Its subject is the singer’s interpretation of the Keep Walking concept, which has been associated with the brand for many years. In this version, the message is communicated through a brief cinematic story rather than an extended spoken explanation.
The commercial is not a music video or an announcement of a feature film starring Carpenter. It is a short advertising production created specifically for Johnnie Walker. Although it uses music and cinematic techniques, the project does not represent a new song release or an addition to the singer’s recording catalog.
It is also not the beginning of her relationship with the company. The partnership was first announced in August 2025 and has since involved several promotional projects. The new film expands that existing agreement by introducing a collaboration with one of Hollywood’s best-known contemporary directors.
Earlier activities included the Go Go Highball, a drink associated with Carpenter’s recognizable style, and a limited-edition Johnnie Walker Black Label bottle featuring design elements inspired by her personality. Those products have been introduced across several international markets, while the new film gives the partnership a distinct visual component.
The collaboration arrives at a time when Carpenter’s connection to acting is receiving renewed attention. Long before her rise to global pop prominence, she appeared in television productions and built experience performing for the camera. Her background has made the combination of music and acting a recurring feature of her career.
Speaking to Elle about the campaign, Carpenter reflected on the difference between the two disciplines. Music allows her to communicate stories from her own perspective, while acting gives her the opportunity to inhabit someone else’s world. She described that ability to explore a different character’s experience as one of the exciting aspects of performing.
Her film ambitions extend beyond advertising. Carpenter has been announced as part of an upcoming Fred Astaire biographical film, in which she is set to portray Ginger Rogers. That separate project underscores her continuing interest in acting, although it has no direct connection to Chazelle’s Johnnie Walker commercial.
The singer also remains firmly established in pop music. Her 2025 album Man’s Best Friend reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, while Manchild topped the Billboard Hot 100. The commercial follows those successes without serving as a promotional video for a particular track or album.
For Chazelle, the short format provides an opportunity to approach a familiar commercial setting with the musical energy associated with his films. A nightclub, a moving camera and an expanding celebration are enough to create a recognizable narrative, while Carpenter’s presence holds the sequence together from its opening moments to its final line.
Johnnie Walker unveiled the new film on November 10 as the latest chapter of its ongoing collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter. Directed by Damien Chazelle, the commercial transforms a night out into a colorful, jazz-driven celebration, bringing the singer’s playful screen presence together with the filmmaker’s distinctive interest in music, movement and cinematic storytelling.
IMAGE_CREDIT: Courtesy of Johnnie Walker
