Bryan Cranston Recreated This Iconic 'The Shining' Moment In MTN DEW's Super Bowl Ad

If you're a fan of old-school horror movies, you've probably taken the time to watch Jack Nicholson in the 1980 film The Shining. Even those who haven't seen the movie will likely recognize the iconic still image of Nicholson peeking through a door frame, wide-eyed and terrifying. That movie moment is now the inspiration for MTN DEW's 2020 Super Bowl Commercial, starring Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross in a new take on the film that's more hilarious than scary.

In the commercial, Cranston recreates Nicholson's character, creeping up to a closed door with an axe and a... bottle of MTN DEW Zero Sugar. He breaks down the door as a screaming Ellis Ross wields a scrub brush to fend him off. Cranston peeks his head through the cracks, but instead of saying, "Here's Johnny!" (the movie's most famous line), he proclaims, "Here's MTN DEW Zero!" Ellis Ross snaps out of her terror. "I am thirsty," she says, accepting the bottle thankfully.

The soda brand's tagline for MTN DEW Zero Sugar is "as good as the original, maybe even better," so it makes sense they'd call to mind a classic film to bring that message to life. And the combination of Cranston and Ellis Ross, each a talented comedic actor in their own right, makes for a surprisingly entertaining remake.

Cranston himself also tweeted out the commercial, revealing more about the charitable goal behind it. According to a press release, MTN DEW and Cranston will make matching charitable contributions to FilmAid, a non-profit organization that helps support aspiring filmmakers in vulnerable communities.

Aside from the MTN DEW commercial partnership, Cranston and Ellis Ross are both keeping busy with their own projects. Ellis Ross has been starring in the ABC series Black-ish since 2014, and she's set to appear in the upcoming movie Covers later this year. Cranston, meanwhile, recently returned to his famous role as Walter White in the 2019 movie El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Later in 2020, he'll play one of the major character voices in The One and Only Ivan, a film based on a popular children's novel.

But really, petition for Cranston and Ellis Ross to do a full-length remake of "The Shining"? It would be just memorable as the original, sans the nightmares. Sign me up.