Taco Bell Finally Tells the Story of the 'Franchise Wars' in a Sci-Fi Homage to Demolition Man

The hottest movie trailer of the summer might not even be for a movie at all. In Web of Fries II, an action-packed sequel to a trailer released earlier this year, Taco Bell announces the return of nacho fries at the restaurant chain on July 12. Yes, the Web of Fries film franchise has it all: love, tragedy, the triumph of good over evil. Except for the small detail that this is not actually a film, which may disappoint those who watch this trailer. (It is, however, a prequel of sorts to '90s sci-fi action flick Demolition Man.) In the riveting advert for Web of Fries II: Franchise Wars, we see the return of hero Josh Duhamel in a future dystopia where the downtrodden common people have launched a rebellion against Big Fry, which is attempting to hide the truth from the public about nacho fries. [kickout id="1"] The chain originally released nacho fries in the spring but has brought them back for a limited time due to popular demand. And the trailer arrives just in time for the film's 25th anniversary. “When you create a fake trailer for a fake movie for a real product that surpasses all expectations of products (and movie trailers), it seems inevitable that you have to create a sequel,” said Marisa Thalberg, chief brand officer of Taco Bell. “And what better way to tease this sequel than pay homage to a real movie’s 25th anniversary—one that had a very compelling view of a fictional future?” In Demolition Man, a 1993 satirical take on American consumerism and political correctness, Taco Bell is revealed to be the only restaurant chain that survived the "Franchise Wars," and we see that both the atmosphere and menu had changed by 2032. Here's a look back at the scene, followed by the first Web of Fries installment: [kickout id="2"] [kickout id="3"] (Non-American fans of the movie might be confused about Taco Bell's tie-in to Demolition Man, since some overseas edits of the movie replaced the chain with Pizza Hut, which was felt to have better international brand awareness.) The new Taco Bell campaign will culminate with a Demolition Man pop-up at a Taco Bell in San Diego July 19 to 21. The Web of Fries campaign is produced in collaboration with Deutsch. Adweek just reported that former Taco Bell account lead Walter Smith, presently with dual titles of executive vice president and group account director, will exit at the end of the month based on mutual agreement. CREDITS: Chief Brand Officer – Marisa Thalberg SVP, Advertising and Brand Engagement – Tracee Larocca Manager, Advertising – Brian Darney Senior Associate Manager, Advertising – Amanda Barbosa Deutsch Credits and Titles: Creative Credits: Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat Executive Creative Director: Brett Craig Creative Director: Ken Slater Creative Director: Rich Ford Senior Art Director: Jamie Kiersted Copywriter: Bobby O’Neill Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo Executive Integrated Producer: Paul Roy Senior Integrated Producer: Mariana Perin Music Director: Eryk Rich Music Producer: Chase Butters Music Coordinator: Dez Davis Account Management Credits: Group Account Director: Matt Matzen Account Supervisor: Kelly Childers Account Executive: Jenny Wolf Assistant Account Executive: Eddy Perezic Account Planning: Co-Director of Strategy: Lindsey Allison Strategy Director: Armando Potter Business Affairs/Traffic: Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo Executive Business Affairs Manager: Ken Rongey Senior Business Affairs Manager: Charissa Kinney Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo Broadcast Traffic Manager: Ana Barraza Executives: CEO, North America: Mike Sheldon President, Los Angeles: Kim Getty Live Action Production Company Production Company: Reset Director/Cinematographer: Wally Pfister Managing Director: Dave Morrison Executive Producer/Bidding: Jen Beitler Head of Production: JP Colombo Line Producer: James Graves Editorial Company: Production Company: Union Editorial Editor: Jim Haygood Assistant Editor: Joe Hughes Executive Producer: Joe Ross Post/VFX Facility Production Company: Method Executive Producer: Andrew J. Bell VFX Producer: Mike Zavala VFX Supervisor: Vernon R. Wilbert Jr. Flame Lead: Ian Holland CG Supervisor: Nate Shaw Comp. Supervisor: Toma Bowen Coordinator: Salee Black Post Facility: Production Company: CO3 Senior Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld Senior Producer: Gabriel Wakeman Executive Producer: Ashley McKim Licensed/Composed Music, Credits and Track Info: Music Company: Mophonics Performed by: Stephan Altman ASCAP Composed by: Stephan Altman ASCAP Audio Post Company: Production Company: Lime Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Mixer: Mark Meyuhas Assistant Mixer: Peter Lapinski Shoot Location: Budapest, Hungary