Ad of the Day: Peter Stormare Is Back, and as Dark as Ever, for Black Ops 3

Attention, Black Ops fanatics. "The Replacer" is back, and once again, he's fully prepared to step into your shoes. After a three-year absence, actor Peter Stormare returns with a vengeance as the dark-suited tough-guy who replaces average Janes and Joes in their daily routines, allowing them to jones on the latest installment of Activison's first-person shooter, part of its iconic Call of Duty franchise. The DLC pack for Black Ops 3: Awakening drops next week. Stormare shows up in this new four-minute romp from 72andSunny and director Jason Woliner, quipping in his patented gravelly tones and replacing folks left and right. "I take care of those pesky day-to-day distractions that come between you and your Call of Duty duties," he explains with an edgy, I'd-just-as-soon-kill-you delivery that has come to define his character in three previous amusing online films. Thanks to the Replacer's skills, an ambulance driver, a dog walker, some dude meeting his girlfriend's parents for first time, and a dad in the middle of a "birds-and-bees" talk with his son are among those who get time off to play Black Ops. During the discussion about sex, well, Stormare fires up some porn on a tablet and assures his young charge, "This all you'll need to know." While walking the dogs, our hero relieves himself against a tree and asks passersby if they'd like to buy one of his pooches. "With Black Ops 3 and the return of the Black Ops sub-franchise, we realized there was a lot of nostalgia and great memories for us to tap into," says Todd Harvey, svp of global consumer marketing at Activision. "The Replacer is one of the most-beloved characters in all of Call of Duty marketing. It felt natural for us to revisit him." The Replacer first rode to gamers' rescue in an awesome 2013 spot touting Black Ops 2: Revolution. He returned a few months later with J.B. Smoove as his sidekick to plug Black Ops 2: Uprising. Back then, the Replacer idea "was new, entertaining and actually made a statement beyond the Black Ops and the DLC pack," Frank Hahn, group creative director at 72andSunny, tells Adweek. "It was a testimony to what it's like playing Call Of Duty." It was also easier to invent schtick for Stormare's character this time around, Hahn said, "because we were leaning into an old concept. But we had to beat the original." Whether the team succeeded is, of course, a matter of opinion. Stormare certainly performs with the trademark intensity that made him a scene-stealer in Fargo and other films. Also, his adventures remain amusingly varied, with some cool surprises along the way. In the best bit, he replaces a certain taciturn NFL star (hint: It's not Tom Brady) at a press conference, pointedly ignoring questions from the media as he snacks from a candy bowl. "When we contacted Peter to ask him to continue the Replacer series, he was so excited that he announced his comeback on his own social channel with a short video," says Hahn. Stormare's high spirits, and hijinks, continued on set, notably during the scene where he replaces a Teppanyaki chef. "He burned his hand on the hot plate, and he ate raw meat," Hahn recalls. "On the other stories—I'll remain silent." Ah, the joys of an actor's method ... and madness! As far as Hahn is concerned, Stormare will always have a role to play if the series continues. No matter what twists and turns future episodes may take, "You cannot replace Peter; he is unique." CREDITS Client: Activision Chief Executive Officer of Activision Publishing: Eric Hirshberg Chief Marketing Officer: Tim Ellis SVP, Global Consumer Marketing: Todd Harvey Consumer Marketing Director: David Blaser Consumer Marketing Manager: Andrew Drake Agency: 72andSunny Chief Creative Officer: Glenn Cole Group Creative Director: Frank Hahn Creative Director: Tim Wolfe Lead Writer: Jc Abruzzi Lead Designer: Warren Frost Junior Writer: Matt Meszaros Group Brand Director: Mike Parseghian Brand Director: Simon Hall Brand Manager: Brian Kim Brand Coordinator: Will Nader Senior Art Producer: Sabrina Bajaj Senior Art Producer: Kacey VanDenBosch Chief Strategy Officer: Matt Jarvis Group Strategy Director: John Graham Strategy Director: Daniel Teng Strategist: Jake Watt Business Affairs Director: Jana Nauman Business Affairs Manager: Kelly Ventrelli Jr. Business Affairs Manager: Ashley Pesses Senior Producer: Dave Stephenson Production Coordinator: Ian Donnelly Production: Director: Jason Woliner Executive Producer: Michael Sagol Executive Producer: Jasper Thomlinson Executive Producer: Darren Foldes Head of Production: Kelly Bowen Producer: Eric Escott

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Ad of the Day: Peter Stormare Is Back, and as Dark as Ever, for Black Ops 3

The return of the Replacer

David Gianatasio

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David Gianatasio