Sean Astin Returns for 'Rudy II,' Except Rudy's Now Colonel Sanders and It's All a KFC Ad

There is a small fraternity of entertainers who can claim the honor of portraying the Keeper of the Original Recipe. Though their celebrity-fueled campaign began only in 2015, KFC and agency Wieden + Kennedy Portland have managed to enlist a number of major names to don the snowy mustache-and-goatee look and telltale gold-rimmed spectacles, including Jason Alexander, George Hamilton and even—bless everything—Reba McEntire. With the role constantly shifting, the fried chicken tentpole has maintained an unexpected air of public curiosity around just who would get to call themselves the next Colonel. Well now we know the newest incarnation, and he's definitely an MVP of KFC: Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. Or, rather, Sean Astin as Ruettiger. Reprising his role from the 1993 biographical film Rudy, Astin is making another play as the football hopeful with big dreams, only this time his eyes are less focused on the end zone and more on a white suit and a bucket of extra crispy. For the minute-long short film “Rudy II,” Astin gets to recreate some of the moments from his famed leading role just in time for football season. And if you look closely, you’ll even spot a cameo from the real Rudy Ruettiger. [kickout id="1"] “When KFC approached me to reprise the role of Rudy, but play him as Colonel Sanders, I knew this was something I couldn’t pass up,” Astin said in a statement. “Getting to recreate some of the film’s iconic scenes with a KFC spin was such a fun experience.” The campaign also includes a 15-second spot centered on one couch's rugged determination to...pay for free cake. [kickout id="2"] While Astin might be best known for early starring roles in Rudy and 1985's The Goonies, his career and pop culture relevance have remained impressively consistent. In the early 2000s, he played loyal Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and more recently he's played central roles in the Netflix series Stranger Things and No Good Nick. This isn’t Astin’s first—or even second—revival of this particular role for an ad. In 2014, he actually dusted off the letterman jacket twice: once for the a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment in the CarMax Super Bowl commercial “Slow Clap,” and again for an ESPN college playoff explainer. Talk about taking a character into overtime. Four ads are scheduled to run in the "Rudy II" campaign from September until November. CREDITS: Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Portland Executive Creative Directors: Jason Bagley, Eric Baldwin Creative Directors: Jarrod Higgins, Lawrence Melilli Art Director: Katie Willis Copywriter: Ryan Snyder Executive Producer: Heather Smith Harvey Senior Producer: Jennifer Fiske Brand Management: Jesse Johnson, Kimmy Cunningham, Aparna Battoo, Spencer Crain Strategy: Britton Taylor, Matt Hisamotto, Andrew Clayton, Becca RamosBusiness Affairs Managers: Amber Lavender, Nestor Gandia Creative Manager: Jane Monghan, Lauren Walker Studio Design: Amy Streger, Victoria Tengblad-Kreft, Patrick Nistler, Dave Hagen, Chris Streger Print Producer: Denise Hanggi Production Company: Arts & Sciences Director: Mike Warzin Executive Producer: Mal Ward Line Producer: Kristin Porter Director of Photography: Alex Disenhof Editorial Company: Joint Editor: Tommy Harden (Rudy II: He’s Colonel Sanders Now); Dylan Sylwester (Free Cake- Argument) Postproducer: Chris Girard Executive Producer: Lesley Carthy VFX Company: JammVFX Supervisor / Lead CG: Andy Boyd VFX Supervisor / Lead Flame Artist: Jake Montgomery Lead Flame Artist: Brian Hajek Flame Artist : Graziella Gandolfi Flame Artist : Patrick Munoz Flame Artist: Michael Do Flame Artist: Michael Vaglienty CG Artist : Ben Martin Producer: Ashley Greyson Production Coordinator : Anna Dood Executive Producer : Asher Edwards Color: CO3 Colorist: Tom Poole Color Producer: Alexandra Lubrano Music: “The Final Game” from Rudy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Sound Design and Mix: Joint Sound Designer and Audio Mixer: Noah Woodburn

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Sean Astin Returns for 'Rudy II,' Except Rudy's Now Colonel Sanders and It's All a KFC Ad

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