Colonel Rudy joins a parade of familiar faces that have personified the iconic Colonel since 2015
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Since KFC launched its re-colonelization plan in 2015, the brand has had 12 celebrity Colonels play the brand’s famous founder and creator of the chain’s secret fried chicken recipe.
Today, the Louisville, Ky.-based chain, a division of Yum Brands, announced celebrity No. 13: Sean Astin. In national TV ads launching today, Astin’s “Colonel Rudy” is a nod to his leading role in the 1993 sports film, “Rudy.”
“Both Colonel Sanders and Rudy Ruettiger have similar stories of fulfilling their dreams by doing things the hard way and never giving up,” KFC said in a statement released Thursday morning.
In the new campaign, Rudy is on a quest to fulfill a new dream to become Colonel Sanders.
“The spot recreates several of the iconic scenes from the original Rudy film like the famous locker room speech and when Rudy is lifted up and carried off the field as a hero, but in a unique way that only KFC could do,” the company said.
Astin joins celebrities such as Ray Liotta, Rob Lowe and country singer Reba McEntire, who have played the Colonel over the past few years.
The brand has also created unconventional Colonels such as Colonel Chester Cheetah, Virtual Colonel Influencer, Colonel RoboCop, Hot Honey Colonel Bear and the Value Colonel.
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