Samuel L. Jackson gets digital in a new Super Bowl ad starring the foul-mouthed actor as a video game character, and the commercial even pays tribute to Jackson’s death inDeep Blue Sea. The ad comes from Verizon to promote the debut of 5G Ultra Wideband, promising the fastest 5G in the world with an emphasis on ultra-low lag. In the ad, a digitized Jackson speaks delivers a speech to an array of gamers on the importance of playing with Verizon’s speeds.
“Gamers! He who is good for making excuses is seldom good for making anything else,“Samuel L. Jacksonexplains. The actor then singles out one particular gamer for “blaming losses on a laggy network, and when the gamer tries to deny it, Jackson asks, “You really gonna lie to Samuel L. Jackson while he’s holding a sparkle stick?”
Things get worse for the actor from there when Jackson calls out Pittsburgh Steelers player JuJu Smith-Schuster. Frustrated, JuJu puts on his football helmet and heads off-screen, calling for someone to “bring my fish around.” Moments later, JuJu emerges from the water behind Jackson perched atop a shark, which proceeds to swallow thePulp Fictionstar whole just as he reaches the end of his speech.
“That escalated quickly,” one of the spectating gamers says in response.
Jackson’s “death” in theSuper Bowlad might seem familiar to some longtime fans of the actor, as it’s a throwback to the 1999 eco-horror movieDeep Blue Sea. In that movie, Jackson played a character who was similarly devoured by a shark after delivering a powerful speech. The moment was very shocking at the time as it came well before the end, making it perhaps the most memorable scene from the movie. It’s been referenced many times in pop culture in the years ever since.
Several other high-profile ads also premiered at Super Bowl LV in addition to theVerizoncommercial with Jackson. Some of the other spots include Cadillac’sEdward Scissorhandsparody with Timothee Chalamet playing the son of the Johnny Depp character; an Uber Eats ad with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprising their iconic roles from theWayne’s Worldmovies; and John Travolta recreating a number fromGreasewith his daughter for a commercial advertising Scotts and Miracle-Gro.
Jackson willreturn to the horror genrein director Darren Lynn Bousman’s upcomingSawsequelSpiral. Comedian Chris Rock also stars with the two playing police officers investigating a new series of Jigsaw-like murders. Given the nature of theSawmovies, we can presume the death scenes will be much more brutal than what happened to Jackson inDeep Blue Sea. We’ll see if the actor can make it out alive this time whenSpiralpremieres on June 15, 2025.
It was unfortunate for his character that Jackson was unable to surviveDeep Blue Sea, but at least something good has come from it with actor humorously spoofing the scene over two decades later. The new Super Bowl LV ad starring Jackson comes to us fromVerizon on YouTube.
