Prime Video gives German Wattpad romance Drive a worldwide October 28 release

Amazon today published the trailer for Drive - The Pretenders, a German-language film from Amazon MGM Studios Germany and Bavaria Fiction that arrives on Prime Video on October 28. The film is "available exclusively on Prime Video worldwide," according to Amazon, putting a local production adapted from a Wattpad novel in front of the service's full international audience on the same day.

In Short Amazon made a German movie about a race car mechanic who pretends to be engaged to a famous driver, and it will appear on Prime Video in every country on October 28. Prime Video shows ads to most of its viewers unless they pay extra, so a film like this becomes a place where ads can run in many countries at once.

What changes is that a German story built for a young romance audience is being sold to viewers worldwide from day one, not only in Germany. What Amazon published The announcement is a short entertainment post on Amazon's news site, written by Charles Clark and dated October 19, 2026.

Its headline invites readers to watch the trailer, which is embedded from YouTube, and the dek summarises the plot: "The movie, inspired by the hit novel 'Drive,' follows a mechanic who fakes an engagement to a scandalous racing star." The story itself is a fake-relationship romance.

"Inspired by the hit Wattpad novel Drive by Tamara Lush, Drive - The Pretenders follows a young race car mechanic," according to Amazon, who pretends to be engaged to the most scandalous driver on the circuit. The arrangement is officially meant to repair his reputation; privately, she wants her own chance behind the wheel.

The deception, Amazon writes, threatens to undo everything, including the feelings that grow between them. Lisa-Marie Koroll plays the mechanic, Sarah Jenkins. Amin Baahmed plays the racing star, Dante Annunziata.

The supporting cast named on the page is Gustav Schmidt, Mišel Matičević, Lucie Heinze, Frederic Linkemann, Inka Friedrich, Jeanette Hain, Philippe Brenninkmeyer, Steven Gätjen, Pati Valpati and Leslie Malton. Behind the camera, the film is a Bavaria Fiction production with Amazon MGM Studios Germany.

Karsten Guenther is the producer and Florian Granert the associate producer. Sergej Moya directed from a screenplay by Chris Silber and Malina Nwabuonwor, with cinematography by Armin Franzen. What the page leaves out Several details that would normally accompany a release are absent.

Amazon gives no runtime, no age rating, no release time of day and no German-language title. The post describes the film as German-language but does not say which dubbed or subtitled versions will be offered outside German-speaking markets. It does not mention advertising, the ad-supported tier or any sponsor.

And there are no quotes from cast, crew or Amazon executives - the page is a trailer post with a credits list and a membership pitch. That pitch is specific. Prime Video is included with Prime membership, which costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year in the US, according to Amazon.

Discounted memberships at 50% off are offered to young adults and qualifying government assistance recipients, and a 30-day free trial is available. Where the film fits in Amazon's international slate The post positions Drive alongside other young-adult romances on the service. It points to Love Me Love Me, whose sequel is due on Prime Video in 2027, to the German series Maxton Hall, and to the Spanish Culpables franchise, which Amazon says has drawn "over 100 million viewers." Amazon does not say over what period, or how a viewer is counted.

Maxton Hall is the clearest precedent. Prime Video calls it its most-watched International Original series ever, and on September 9, 2026, Amazon put AI lip-sync dubbing on the show's English dubs for its first two seasons, with season three, due December 9, 2026, to include the feature as well.

That was a step beyond the auto dubbing pilot Prime Video started in March 2025, when it introduced AI-aided dubbing in English and Latin American Spanish on 12 licensed titles that had no dubs at all. Amazon's Drive post links to the lip-sync announcement but does not say whether Drive will use the technology.

The pattern is easy to read. Amazon is producing romances in German and Spanish with source material that already has an online readership, then releasing them in every Prime Video market simultaneously. A Wattpad novel with an existing fan base gives a local production a built-in audience abroad, and dubbing determines how far that audience can be stretched.

Why this matters for advertisers Prime Video has been an ad-supported service by default for more than two and a half years. Amazon began showing ads in Prime Video in the US in January 2024, with Germany among the first markets to follow in February. Members who do not want ads pay extra; in the US, the ad-free add-on was renamed Prime Video Ultra and raised from $2.99 to $4.99 a month , effective April 10, 2026.

That makes the service an AVOD offering by default, sold on top of a paid membership. Germany is a substantial piece of that inventory. At its first German upfront, held in Cologne on June 4, 2025, Amazon said Prime Video averaged more than 17 million ad-supported monthly customers in Germany , and that 95% of Prime Video viewers there had made an Amazon purchase in the previous three months.

Interactive video ads and pause ad formats were scheduled to reach the German market in September 2025. Local originals were part of that pitch: the cast of Maxton Hall attended the Cologne event. Globally, Amazon reported an average ad-supported audience of 315 million viewers in its fourth-quarter 2025 results, and by the second quarter of 2026 advertising revenue had grown 26% to $19.8 billion .

Live sport has been the centre of Amazon's CTV pitch so far; its ad chief said in May 2026 that Prime Video and live sports are now one business . A scripted German romance is a different kind of placement - on demand, aimed at a younger audience, and available in every market at once.

Amazon's post says nothing about how, or whether, the film will be sold to advertisers. Buyers do have a way to check where their spots ran: since August 2024, Amazon has offered show title reports for streaming TV ads , breaking down impressions by title on Prime Video inventory.

The model has critics Not every market has accepted the default-ads model quietly. In Australia, the competition regulator sued Amazon in June 2026 over contract terms used to introduce Prime Video ads for existing annual subscribers. Drive's worldwide release includes that market.

A crowded autumn slate also competes for the same viewing time. Amazon's May 2026 upfront dated the third season of The Rings of Power for November 11, 2026 , two weeks after Drive arrives, and Prime Video's October schedule of 26 live sports events includes its first NBA doubleheader of the season on October 23, five days before the film's release.

Timeline January 2024 - Amazon starts showing ads in Prime Video in the US, with Germany following in February August 6, 2024 - Amazon adds show title reports for Prime Video streaming TV ads March 5, 2025 - Prime Video starts an AI-aided dubbing pilot on 12 licensed titles June 4, 2025 - Amazon's first German upfront reports more than 17 million ad-supported monthly Prime Video customers in Germany February 2026 - Amazon reports a 315 million global ad-supported Prime Video audience April 10, 2026 - Prime Video's US ad-free tier becomes Prime Video Ultra at $4.99 a month May 11, 2026 - Amazon's upfront dates The Rings of Power season three for November 11 June 2026 - Australia's ACCC sues Amazon over Prime Video ad terms July 2026 - Amazon reports second-quarter ad revenue up 26% to $19.8 billion September 9, 2026 - Prime Video adds AI lip-sync dubbing to Maxton Hall's English dubs October 19, 2026 - Amazon publishes the trailer for Drive - The Pretenders October 23, 2026 - Prime Video's first NBA doubleheader of the season October 28, 2026 - Drive - The Pretenders streams on Prime Video worldwide December 9, 2026 - Maxton Hall season three due with lip-sync dubbing Prime Video puts AI lip-sync dubbing on Maxton Hall, its most-watched Original - The dubbing technology Amazon now applies to its German young-adult series.

Prime Video launches AI-aided dubbing - The March 2025 pilot of AI-assisted dubbing on 12 licensed Prime Video titles. Amazon unveils 17 million monthly Prime Video ad reach in first German upfront - Prime Video's ad reach, formats and local originals in Germany. Amazon launches Prime Video Ads - The start of default advertising on Prime Video and its rollout to Germany.

Prime Video ad-free cost jumps 67% as Amazon rebrands tier Ultra - The US price rise for avoiding ads on Prime Video. Amazon's ad revenue hits $21.3B as Prime Video reaches 315M viewers - Fourth-quarter 2025 results and the global ad-supported audience figure. Amazon ad revenue gains 26% as Prime Video stacks 19 August live games - Second-quarter 2026 advertising revenue.

Amazon's ad chief: Prime Video and live sports are now one business - How Amazon sells Prime Video inventory alongside sports rights. Amazon enhances streaming TV ad transparency with show title reports - Reporting that tells advertisers which titles carried their ads. Australia's ACCC sues Amazon over ads forced on 850,000 Prime subscribers - The regulator's case over how Prime Video ads were introduced.

Fourth Wing ordered, Rings of Power dated: Prime Video's 2026 upfront in full - Amazon's May 2026 programming slate. Prime Video schedules 26 live sports events in October 2026 - Prime Video's October live sports lineup. Summary Who: Amazon, through Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios Germany, with production company Bavaria Fiction.

The film stars Lisa-Marie Koroll and Amin Baahmed, is directed by Sergej Moya and adapts Tamara Lush's Wattpad novel Drive. What: Amazon published the trailer for Drive - The Pretenders, a German-language romance about a race car mechanic who fakes an engagement to a racing star, and confirmed it will stream exclusively on Prime Video worldwide.

The post contains no advertising details. When: The trailer was published today, October 19, 2026. The film streams from October 28, 2026.

Where: On Prime Video in every market where the service operates. The production is German. Why: Amazon is releasing local-language originals built on existing online fan bases to its whole international audience at once.

Because Prime Video carries ads by default, including to more than 17 million monthly ad-supported customers in Germany, each such release adds on-demand inventory across all of those markets.