The Super Bowl is still over a month away, but that didn't stop Frito-Lay from releasing the first image from their big PopCorners ad for the big game. For this year's festivities, the snack company has hired the services of drug kingpin Walter White (Bryan Cranston), something that AdAge unveiled back in December, to peddle the white cheddar popcorn chip hybrids. Now, the full image of Heisenberg has been revealed, showing Cranston back in the desert with his iconic hat, glasses, button-up shirt, and jacket outfit along with a bag of PopCorners in hand.
Cranston wrapped up his initial run of playing the iconic role in Breaking Bad back in 2013, though few have forgotten his Emmy-winning performance since then. He's since reprised the role in cameos in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and in the final season of Better Call Saul last year, finally fulfilling the fans' demands to see Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul) meet up with Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) once again. Outside the Breaking Bad universe, he's found plenty of recent work with Jerry & Marge Go Large and Showtime's Your Honor as well as Wes Anderson's upcoming film Asteroid City which premieres on June 16.
Although it'll be Walt's first time selling refreshments, it's certainly not Cranston's. He and Paul joined forces recently to create their Dos Hombres mezcal, promoting it heavily in bars across America last year. The two also did commercials for the alcoholic beverage, including for the Illinois-based Binny's Beverage Depot, to get the word out to a wider audience.
RELATED: 10 Best 'Breaking Bad' Episodes, According to IMDB
Starting Super Bowl promotions this early still seems like an odd choice, even considering the star power involved. Typically, previews for the big game ads are saved for the week or so before the game to build anticipation immediately before kickoff. PopCorners is wasting no time in preparing everyone for their Super Bowl debut, though there's another more dire reason the early promotion feels so out of place.
The Breaking Bad Ad Image Comes Amidst a Tragic Moment in NFL History
As cool as it is to see Heisenberg back in action, the preview comes at a troubling time for the NFL. On Monday night, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field due to cardiac arrest after a tackle, resulting in one of the most horrifying and heartbreaking moments in the sport's history. He's still in critical condition in the hospital with no clear sign of when, or if, he can recover. Turning eyes toward the ads of the big game when a player is still in a battle for his life after an incident on the field in front of millions of viewers, including Hamlin's teammates and family members, is far from the message advertisers or the league should send right now. The timing couldn't have been worse.
As of today, Hamlin seems to be taking small steps, but his condition is still dire. A silver lining to it all is the generosity of fans, players, and more in response to his injury. Hamlin's charity, The Chasing M's Foundation Community Toy Drive, has received over $6 million in donations since his injury. Around the league, teams and individual players have united to support Hamlin with many honoring him both online with well-wishes and in person. Fans also gathered outside his hospital to host a prayer circle in hopes of a swift recovery for the young man.
The Super Bowl is currently slated for February 13.
