Peter Stormare Makes a Sensational Return as Activision's 'Replacer'

Tough-guy actor answers the Call of Duty

Divine news for the Pope: he can skip his job for a day and play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 with Peter Stormare’s blessing.

The Fargo tough-guy actor dons the pontiff’s mitre and red shoes in the :60 blow, filling in for His Holiness. Just don’t ask him to kiss your stinkin’ baby, OK?

Stormare hasn’t lost a beat as “The Replacer,” that scary-intense (and immensely amusing!) dude who steps in for fans so they can indulge in some video-game mayhem, Activision style. We last saw Peter in the role five years ago. But he’s back to hype the COD’s latest iteration, which drops on Oct. 25.

72andSunny worked with Biscuit director Aaron Stoller on the Replacer’s impressive resurrection.

In addition to replacing the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Stormare brings his trademark menace to ride-sharing, firefighting, taco creation and a family-dinner scene that puts everything in perspective.

Play

SON (looks around kitchen table): Where’s dad?

REPLACER: I’m your daddy now.

MOM (tuned on): Oooh. Hello daddy.

REPLACER (grins): I like that.

“What makes this campaign unique is that the Replacer can be used in ways a traditional gameplay trailer cannot—such as appearing on magazine covers or doing live interviews with sports anchors,” Activision CMO Tyler Bahl tells Muse. “This allows for more creative and diverse marketing opportunities beyond just showing a trailer or an ad.”

Indeed, the work will lean heavily into pop culture, with all sorts of content in the mix as Stormare “replaces” stars of sports, media, fashion, politics and TikTok. These include the train of Canelo Álvarez and ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt, among many others.

So, we get a Super Bowl approach, with the brand seeking to create a multimedia event over time to maximize coverage and excitement.

“The major challenge is that production was non-stop,” Bahl says. “We are constantly in a state of pre- and post-production and are continuing with more shoots because this campaign has so much depth. We’ve traveled all over the world—from Vancouver to London, Bristol, Chicago and Mexico City—to get everything we need.”

“We feel that the light-hearted nature of the Replacer is the ideal complement to the game’s mystery and conspiracy backdrop,” he says.

The first spot goes live during Sunday Night Football.