Whoever was the marketing and press relations team was for “Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home,” they deserve a raise. For the past few days, they’ve had the internet buzzing about the mysterious project, which has brought together Danny McBride and Chris Hemsworth for what seemed like a “Crocodile Dundee” reboot/sequel. But red flags were immediately raised — how would such a seemingly high profile(ish) project go completely unannounced or shoot in secret? Maybe it’s not even a movie at all? It turns out that latter theory is absolutely correct.
The Brisbane Times has spilled the beans, revealing that all this hype is part of an advertising campaign by Tourism Australia, which will include a commercial that will air during the Super Bowl. There are a few people on the internet right now who can proudly crow about their theories being correct.
The clues about this one were there all along, notably when it was revealed that Steve Rogers, an award-winning commercials director who has made spots for Nike, Old Spice and Audi, was the helmer for the “movie.” Couple that with the fact that the “movie” didn’t seem to actually have a release date, distributor, or valid production company — the math added up.
As for original “Crocodile Dundee” star Paul Hogan saying he was hoping “to bring Dundee to a new generation,” well, he’ll still get to do that. Americans of a certain age will remember his Tourism Australia ads from the 1980s, and I’d reckon the goal here is to make something as memorable for today’s audiences with disposable incomes featuring McBride and Hemsworth. Will it work? Guess we’ll find out on game day.