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Bill Murray Is Reprising Groundhog Day Role for Super Bowl Commercial
Bill Murray is reprising his iconic Groundhog Day role in an upcoming Super Bowl commercial. The actor headlined the hit 1993 comedy as Phil Connors, a Pennsylvania weatherman who gets stuck in a mysterious time loop and is forced to relive Groundhog Day over and over again. The film is considered one of the classics of its genre, being added to the National Film Registry in 2006. Groundhog Day was also nominated for a BAFTA Award and named one of the 10 best fantasy films of all-time by the American Film Institute.
Despite earning widespread critical praise and earning $70.9 million at the domestic box office (unadjusted for inflation), a proper Groundhog Day sequel never saw the light of day. The closest fans got to a followup was the video game Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son, which revolved around Phil's son covering Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney. But now, Murray will be channeling one of his most famous characters again for a commercial airing during this weekend's Super Bowl (which, coincidentally, takes place on Groundhog Day).
The William Murray Golf Instagram account posted photos from the set of a Groundhog Day themed Jeep Super Bowl commercial, which reunites Murray with his old co-star Stephen Tobolowsky (who played Ned in the film). Check out the images in the space below:
This is hardly the first time a legendary film's received something resembling a "sequel" via TV commercial. Over Thanksgiving, Henry Thomas played Elliott from E.T. again, in a Comcast spot about the importance of connecting with friends and family during the holiday season. Many fans were in agreement that E.T. ad was sweet and respectful of the movie's enduring legacy (with a number of great Easter eggs to boot), so hopefully this Groundhog Day commercial can be similarly memorable. And even if it doesn't have a sentimental message behind it, odds are it could still be very entertaining - like Matthew Broderick's return as Ferris Bueller at the Super Bowl several years ago. It should be fun watching Murray and Tobolowsky interacting again.
Legacy sequels are the hot trend in Hollywood today, with several popular properties being revived to varying degrees of success. This goes beyond the more traditional big-budget tentpoles like Star Wars and Jurassic Park, extending to high-concept comedy with something like Bill and Ted Face the Music. That said, it seems unlikely Groundhog Day will ever receive that treatment (despite Murray remaining a popular fixture in entertainment) - but that's probably for the best. As a film, Groundhog Day stands perfectly on its own and needs no further installment. But a bite-sized return to that world in a harmless Super Bowl commercial will probably be an amusing blast of nostalgia for those watching.
