Video games and celebrities can make for a killer combination -- that's what we learned when Supercell slipped Liam Neeson into its Super Bowl spot this year, to powerful, hilarious effect.

The advertiser and its agency Barton F. Graf are hoping to capture audiences' hearts again with a new campaign that enlists Christoph Waltz, a star of "Spectre" and "Django Unchained," and James Corden, host of "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on CBS, to illustrate real-life "Clash of Clan" gamer stories.

A cinema ad breaking today and running in select global markets stars Mr. Waltz as a papa telling a bedtime story to his son, played by Mr. Corden. He recites the harrowing tale of a Lava Pup, one of the characters from the game, tackling seemingly insurmountable obstacles

Turns out the story really happened -- pulled from the annals of "Clash of Clans" gamers' real-life accomplishments.

"True Tales of Clash Achievery" is the game's first fully integrated campaign, which will roll out with more films, social media and digital ads, in large-scale outdoor and high-impact placements. A dedicated website will go live on Christmas day as part of the campaign. There, gamers will be able to submit their own success stories and view other tales in the campaign. All the ads will continue to highlight the feats of gamers themselves, telling their true stories on a grand scale.

According to Barton Chief Creative Officer Gerry Graf, the idea was a no-brainer, as there were already massive stories happening within the game itself. "Clash has such a massive community, and the players are uploading videos and screenshots of epic wins, losses and general creativity everyday. So, the 'stories' are being created everyday -- we are just telling these real stories in a larger-than-life way."

As for the casting, Mr. Graf said of Mr. Waltz, "We needed a great storyteller -- someone [who] when they speak, you lean in and want to listen." In the case of Mr. Corden, "When filming a story that's being told, a classic tactic is to have a character that represents the audience," said Mr. Graf. "He has to act like he is hearing the story for the first time. We needed a great actor with a childlike sense of wonder for that role."

To direct, the agency tapped Anonymous Content's Tim Godsall for the live action and Psyop's Fletcher Moules, long-time animation director on the agency's Supercell work. Barton F. Graf Executive Creative Director Scott Vitrone said that Mr. Godsall brought a feature film sensibility to the job and "could walk the line between giving the film gravitas and being playful," while in the case of Mr. Moules, "no one else knows the animated world of Clash like he does." Both directors were able to "tell a big sweeping story in a short amount of time."

Read the full behind-the-work story on the "Clash of Clans" ad on Adage.com.