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William Shatner is going out with a bang. After fourteen years as the spokesperson for Priceline.com, Shatner's "Priceline Negotiator" character is being killed off in a surprisingly dramatic new commercial. Watch below!
"I'm in grief mode," Shatner, 80, jokingly told the Associated Press Wednesday. "It's not the first time I've had an iconic character die off."
In the 30-second spot, which begins airing Monday, Shatner saves a bus full of passengers from going over a cliff, while simultaneously touting the benefits of Priceline.com.
"Save yourselves... some money," says the Priceline Negotiator, handing his smartphone to a passenger as he and the bus plummet to the ground, where a firy explosion ensues. Yikes!
Priceline CEO Christopher Soder explains that the website offers plenty of travel discounts that don't require negotiation, and they wanted to do something "really over the top to get the message across." Does this mean that Shatner's character is actually dead, as the commercial implies? Maybe.
"We had a great, long association with Mr. Shatner," says Soder. "I didn't mean to use the past tense. He's still under contract with us."
And Shatner, who's busy preparing a one-man Broadway show, says he's resigned to his own fictional death.
"It was a great run, (but) if the management says this is the end, this is the end," says the Star Trek actor.
While the ad is certainly attention-grabbing, it has us a little worried about the future of advertising. What's next? The Old Spice Guy getting trampled by a horse? Lucky the Leprechaun getting pummeled by flying marshmallows? Let's all hope that Priceline hasn't started a trend!
