Francesco Totti Stars in New Spider-Man: Brand New Day Promo

Sony Pictures Italia has launched a promotional campaign for the upcoming film Spider-Man: Brand New Day featuring Italian football legend Francesco Totti. The campaign uses a surrealist premise where Totti, like the film’s protagonist Peter Parker, is suddenly forgotten by the public in Rome to highlight the movie’s core theme of lost identity.

Francesco Totti Stars in ‘Identity Loss’ Campaign for Sony Pictures

The promotional spot, directed by Giorgio Testi and created by agency Crafted in collaboration with Groenlandia, places Francesco Totti in a scenario where he is a complete stranger in his own city. According to the campaign footage, Totti walks through the streets of Rome without being recognized; a longtime barista serves him coffee without reaction, and pedestrians ignore him in a city where he is typically a central cultural symbol.

The narrative is tied together by the voice of Peter Parker, voiced by longtime Italian dubber Alex Polidori. The campaign draws a direct parallel between the fictional struggle of a superhero and the real-world fame of a sports icon. Alessia Garulli, VP of Marketing & Theatrical Distribution at Sony Pictures Italia, stated that both the Spider-Man and sporting universes share the ability to transform ordinary people into symbols recognized by millions, making Totti the ideal face to represent the film’s themes.

“When they proposed it to me, I laughed immediately. Thinking about walking around Rome and no one recognizing me… It was funny, for once, to go unnoticed,” Totti said regarding his participation in the spot.

Plot Connections: From ‘No Way Home’ to ‘Brand New Day’

The premise of the Totti advertisement mirrors the cliffhanger of the previous installment, Spider-Man: No Way Home. In that film, Peter Parker’s identity was erased from the world’s collective memory as a sacrifice to protect the multiverse. Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up from this point, depicting a Peter Parker who must navigate a life where his former friends and allies have no recollection of his existence.

While Parker continues to fight crime as Spider-Man, the new film introduces a threat described as an “impossible to see” enemy.

Market Expectations and Italian Release

Sony Pictures Italia has scheduled the film for a theatrical release in Italy on July 29. Market analysts expect the film to record one of the strongest box office debuts of the year, driven by the continued popularity of Tom Holland’s portrayal of the character.