It’s no secret that getting a product placed in a Bond film can be an expensive undertaking, so imagine the surprise of Wayne Weber, President of Heckler & Koch (HK) USA, when a friend flagged a publicity photo for the upcoming Bond film Spectre, featuring Daniel Craig carrying a VP9. The Cipher Brief reached out to Sony to verify that the pistol was being used in the film, but they didn’t call us back. Weber, however, was far more willing to discuss. Being a Bond fan himself, we found the conversation quite enlightening.
The Cipher Brief: How did you learn the VP9 would be featured in the upcoming film Spectre?
Wayne Weber: We had nothing to do with the gun’s placement in the film. I heard about it from others. I got online and started looking up “VP9” and Spectre, and a number of interesting hits came up. That’s how I found out about it.
TCB: Have any of HK’s other weapons been prominently featured in Bond films or other big movies?
WW: Not so much in Bond films, which is what caught me by surprise. The Walther PPK has been a mainstay as the Bond sidearm for many years. So when we found out our gun would be one of the weapons in the film—in addition to the PPK—we were very surprised. Ironically, one of our sub-machine guns, the UMP9, was highlighted in Casino Royale. Typically, there haven’t been a lot of HK guns in the Bond films.
TCB: Typically with product placement, like a watch or a drink, there is an arrangement with the company. Is that not the case with weapons?
WW: Yes, because most of these guns are generally available to the public, certainly on the handgun side. Many production houses work with movie armors, which can supply a complete arsenal of guns of every type and from every manufacturer to include sniper launchers, grenade launchers, and machine guns.
TCB: What do you think the impact is going to be of having the VP9 featured so prominently in such a big movie?
WW: There is no science to predicting how a movie like this will impact sales, but we certainly see the benefit of it, particularly with VP9 being so popular right now. It was one of the hottest new pistols on the market as of a year ago, and it’s still quite strong.
TCB: What do you think makes the VP9 so popular?
WW: Compared to other handguns on the market right now, the VP9 is state of the art. In terms of all the features that it offers, it’s essentially one-size fits all. The grip is adjustable, unlike just about any handgun on the market. There are 27 different configurations. In terms of ambidexterity, all of the controls are located on both sides of the gun so this is the perfect type of gun for a left-hander. The typical HK quality and engineering that goes into all of our firearms is present in the VP9. It’s also priced very competitively compared to some of our competition. You add all these things up, and you really hit a home run in terms of an HK product.
