Inside Pepsi’s Gladiator commercial: Travis Kelce, Josh Allen star in new NFL ad featuring Megan Thee Stallion | Sporting News Canada

Do you love sequels? What do you think about remakes?

Pepsi has you covered for both with its new ad that began airing at the start of the 2024 NFL season. 

The movie “Gladiator” came out in 2000. Four years later, Pepsi put out an ad that resembled a famous scene from the Russell Crowe movie. Music icons Pink, Beyoncé and Britney Spears decided not to fight each other in the gladiator pit but shared some Pepsi and sang “We Will Rock You.” At the same time, the Emperor, Enrique Iglesias, looked on.

Fun fact: did you know that that ad never actually aired on TV in the U.S.? According to Rolling Stone, it only aired internationally and then was found online by Americans. 

“Gladiator II” comes to theatres in November 2024, and Pepsi decided to capitalize by remaking its iconic 2004 commercial and updating it for the new movie and the NFL season.

The Sporting News breaks down the familiar faces you may notice in the revamped version of the commercial.

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Pepsi’s new NFL Gladiator commercial 

The new commercial starts with two people discussing their fantasy football teams in a restaurant. One rosters Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce, and the other, Derrick Henry and Josh Allen.

The duo both order a Pepsi, and the beat of “We Will Rock You” begins to play. Then, the camera pans inside the Pepsi can, where Kelce, Allen, Jefferson and Henry show up in Gladiator garb. The football quartet fends off a barrage of lions before coming face-to-face with the Emperor. 

The commercial hits all of the highlights for the four players featured. Henry stiff-arms a lion into the dirt, and Allen uses his legs to escape from another lion that then falls into a separate pit. Jefferson hits the Griddy after he and Kelce lock some lions in a cage after they put their strength together to knock down a pillar. 

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Iglesias didn’t reprise his role and is replaced by Megan Thee Stallion. She released the lions on the football players while rapping over the iconic Queen beat.

Stallion comes down from her throne, confronting the victorious NFL players but then joins them in sharing a Pepsi and celebrating. The camera cuts back to the bar, where Kelce asks the duo, “Are you not entertained?” from the TV screen in a callback to an iconic line from the original “Gladiator.”

You can watch the full commercial below.