For some reason, certain Powers That Be behind the Die Hard franchise decided now was the time to once again revive the John McClane story with Bruce Willis.
And while the initial teases shared across social media over the weekend may have convinced some fans that another full-blown movie was on the horizon, including a post on (of all places) the official Instagram for the comedy trio Lonely Island, the occasion is actually a two-minute commercial for batteries.
Speaking with Adweek about the Marketing Arm-created "DieHard Is Back" campaign, Willis—who last appeared in the franchise in 2013 with A Good Day to Die Hard—said he was drawn to the Advance Auto Parts-promoting project after personally determining that the commercial honored both brands in a suitable fashion.
"I've never done any sort of commercial with the John McClane character, but Advance Auto Parts brought an idea to integrate DieHard the battery into the Die Hard story through a short film that's authentic to McClane and both brands," Willis, who also praised the company for treating the ad "like a motion picture," said.
A version of the commercial made its debut during the Green Bay-Tampa Bay NFL game on Sunday, with 15- and 30-second editions set to continue the campaign’s run through the end of the month.
Up top, catch the two-minute version, which also features a number of additional familiar faces and franchise references.
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