MANILA, Philippines - If Tupac can do it onstage, why can't Bruce Lee, the man many consider to be the greatest martial artist who ever lived?
And indeed he is back, or his likeness at least, in a TV ad by Johnnie Walker Blue Label. In it, Lee is shown sharing his philosophy and how water, while formless, has the power to change the world.
Translated from Chinese, Lee says "I believe in instincts. Everyone possesses this unlimited power. It tells you to never follow the rules... but to make them. That, it isn't enough just to think, but to feel."
Watch the video in its entirety below:
The commercial's director Joseph Kahn said on Vimeo that he first talked about the concept with his friend Johnny Tan, BBH Creative Executive, last year. The ad was shot in Hong Kong and they worked with VFX company The Mill in London in a span of nine months to create the CGI Bruce Lee.
"Every shot of his head and every detail in there is completely CGI," Kahn says. "We got Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter, to come aboard and we really picked her brain to make sure that everything was accurate from look to soul. We wanted to be as respectful to the man and legend as we could."
While Lee doesn't mention the brand's name, the ad certainly has that effect that could very well make the video viral in a couple of days. Kahn originally posted the video in his Vimeo account less than 24 hours ago.