Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is continuing the franchise's trend of using celebrities for its trailers. It all started back with the release of the original Black Ops game, which featured the likes of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is keeping the trend going.
In the latest trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, fans are treated to a cavalcade of celebrity appearances that cover streamers, athletes, singers, and actors. Set to the familiar military cadence, Call of Duty uses the phrase “squad up” to promote this year’s release. The trailer, which runs just under 90 seconds, starts off with an appearance from rapper Lil Baby and continues to add one A-lister after another.
Other musicians joining Lil Baby in the Call of Duty commercial are Kane Brown, Jack Harlow, and Nicki Minaj. Athletes are well represented, too, with NFL players Jalen Ramsey (Los Angeles Rams) and David Long Jr. (Tennessee Titans), as well as soccer star Bukayo Saka and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris. The trailer also features actor Pete Davidson, who appeared in the first trailer back in June. Finally, some of the more popular esports players and streamers make the cut with Faze Clan’s Nuke Squad.
The celebrities who appear in the trailer for Modern Warfare 2 join a growing list of those that have helped to promote the Call of Duty brand. Some of the bigger names to be used in the advertisements leading up to this year include Jonah Hill, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Michael B. Jordan, just to name a few. This latest trailer continues the trend of using high-budget production with flashy stunts and over-the-top action. The likes of Guy Ritchie and Gibson Hazard have directed Call of Duty trailers in the past, with this year's edition being directed by Valentin Petit. Petit has directed music videos for Rosalia, A$AP Ferg, and Victoria Monet.
Modern Warfare 2 is the 19th installment in the Call of Duty series and is the sequel to the 2019 release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which in itself was a reboot of the popular Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 games. Many of the familiar faces that fans have become accustomed to will be there, including Captain John Price and Sergeant Kyle “Gaz” Garrick. The Infinity Ward release will also come along with an updated version of the Call of Duty battle royale mode, Warzone.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is scheduled to release on October 28, 2022, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.