Kathy Bates is a creepy grandma in Merge Mansion's first TV ads

Kathy Bates stars as a creepy grandma who's definitely hiding something, in a fun debut campaign from Merge Mansion, the Metacore-owned mobile puzzle game. The Finnish studio tapped Wieden+Kennedy Portland to create its first live-action campaign. Four spots directed by Jim Jenkins of O Positive features Bates as "Grandma Ursula" from the game. She's constantly disappearing from her granddaughter Maddie, sometimes unnervingly replaced by a knitted mannequin. She also seems to have a lot of secret hiding places in the family mansion and has an unsettlingly large collection of knives. Merge Mansion launched globally earlier this year and has close to 20 million downloads. Gamers play as Maddie, who has to complete a series of tasks in the mansion and find out some hidden family secrets. The game's earlier animated ads attracted some attention online, but this is the first time it's taken the characters into live action—and Bates is an inspired casting choice. "Ursula and I fit like a pair of beloved old garden gloves! What a crazy grandma," said Bates in a statement. "I loved scurrying around the grand old house. So much fun working with the brilliant Jim Jenkins and Grace Rex who played my granddaughter—a very talented young actress. The lovely crew, the production design and the beautiful cinematography. Thank you Merge Mansion for inviting me to play. Now I’ll check out the game!"

Kathy Bates is a creepy grandma in Merge Mansion's first TV ads

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