Bud Light and 'Game of Thrones' debuted a crossover ad for Super Bowl Sunday, and everyone was caught off guard

• HBO and Bud Light teamed up for a "Game of Thrones" crossover commercial during the Super Bowl on Sunday. 
• The ad starts with Bud Light's "Dilly Dilly" campaign about the Bud Knight.
• But then The Mountain appears, and Drogon sweeps in to roast everyone alive. 
• People were taken aback by this unexpected partnership.

HBO has yet to release a full-length trailer for the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones," and the teasing continued on Super Bowl Sunday.

In an unexpected move, HBO partnered with Anheuser-Busch InBev for a Bud Light and "Game of Thrones" crossover commercial. 

The ad began as an iteration of Bud Light's viral "Dilly Dilly" campaign, in which medieval characters cheer "Dilly Dilly!" as knights and lords attend a jousting tournament. 

But then Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane entered the ring, and the iconic "Rains of Castamere" song began playing over the Bud Light commercial. The ad then recreates several memorable moments from the series, including the death of Oberyn Martell. But this time The Mountain defeats the "Bud Knight."

Drogon, one of Daenerys Targaryen's dragons, also appears and roasts the entire encampment alive. By the end of the commercial, the full "Game of Thrones" theme song was playing and HBO's logo appeared, reminding viewers the final season was coming on April 14. 

An HBO press release revealed that the ad's creation "reunited more than 25 people from the 'Game of Thrones' crew under the direction of David Nutter, the man who orchestrated the infamous 'The Red Wedding' episode among others, and the collaboration of showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss."

The Bud Light portion of the commercial directed by Spencer Riviera, "who previously directed creative within the Bud Light medieval universe."

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal's Suzanne Vranica, HBO considered partnering with other brands for this surprise "Game of Thrones" crossover. 

"HBO considered several potential partners, including car makers and Coca-Cola Co," the WSJ says. "The beverage giant was never approached, but HBO had envisioned pitching a script that involved having Coke's iconic polar bear turn into a 'white walker,' a zombie-like creature from the show."

But the chosen brand was Bud Light, thanks to the "Dilly Dilly" campaign set in a similar medieval-inspired landscape which matched with "Game of Thrones."

The commercial invoked surprise from Super Bowl viewers, many of whom likely thought the commercial was another run-of-the-mill Bud Light ad. But once the recognizable "Game of Thrones" music began and The Mountain stepped into view, things took a turn.

"Game of Thrones" returns for its eighth and final season on Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. EST. 

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

• Read more about "Game of Thrones":
• The new 'Game of Thrones' teaser had a fantastic throwback to the very first episode and Jon Snow's birth mother
• Kit Harington says shooting the final 'Game of Thrones' season was so exhausting that everyone was just 'done' with the show
• An actor from the original unaired 'Game of Thrones' pilot is returning for HBO's prequel spin-off
• Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington tease trouble ahead for Daenerys and Jon's romance on 'Game of Thrones'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: An exercise scientist reveals exactly how long you need to work out to get in great shape