Timothée chalamet
PHOTO: TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET/INSTAGRAM @TCHALAMET

Timothée Chalamet has sparked a social media firestorm after releasing a deliberately outrageous marketing pitch for his upcoming film Marty Supreme. During a staged Zoom call, one of the participants suggested that the Statue of Liberty should be painted a vivid shade of orange — a proposal so absurd that it immediately captured public attention. The video went viral on TikTok, X, and Instagram, and the controversy drew both fans and critics into the discussion. The stunt has transformed a niche table-tennis film into one of the most talked-about releases of the year, generating enormous hype ahead of its December debut.

The clip shows Chalamet playing a self-aware, exaggerated version of a movie star turned marketer, pitching a series of outlandish promotional ideas to a fictional agency team. Among them are repainting famous landmarks, launching an orange blimp, and even flooding the sky with ping-pong balls. The notion of colouring historic sites orange, particularly the Statue of Liberty, stirred strong reactions and quickly became central to the ongoing cultural conversation about Marty Supreme, a debate that had been simmering long before the production ever debuted.

Marty Supreme and Timothée Chalamet: From Ping-Pong Underdog to Viral Sensation

Marty Supreme is a 2025 sports comedy-drama directed by Josh Safdie. It stars Timothée Chalamet, who also serves as a co-producer, and is loosely inspired by legendary table-tennis figure Marty Reisman. The film follows Marty Mauser, a 1950s New Yorker pursuing fame and success in the world of competitive table tennis, despite his humble beginnings working in a shoe shop.

The film premiered unexpectedly at the 2025 New York Film Festival on Oct. 6. It is slated for theatrical release in the United States on Dec. 25, 2025 by A24. The campaign surrounding the film has been anything but conventional.

At the centre of the media buzz is an 18-minute staged Zoom-call video released by A24, in which Chalamet plays the "star client" pitching increasingly outlandish promotional concepts. These include painting major global landmarks orange, sending blimps over cities, and showering the sky with ping-pong balls — all absurd, impossible stunts clearly intended as satire.

Yet the campaign has not remained purely fictional. In a nod to the outlandish Zoom pitch, a bright orange Marty Supreme blimp has been spotted flying above cities in the United States. This real-world activation has blurred the line between parody and promotion, amplifying the film's visibility even further.

The absurdity of the campaign's many layers is one of its defining qualities. People are discussing the film not only as a sports comedy but also as a cultural talking point because of its unconventional promotional strategies. It represents a shift in marketing narratives — moving beyond traditional trailers and posters towards interactive, meme-friendly stunts.

Public Reaction and Marketing Impact: How the Orange Pitch Took Off

The mock video quickly became a viral sensation. On social media, users shared memes, parodies, and speculative reactions imagining what a burnt-orange Statue of Liberty might look like. The combination of humour and audacity struck a chord. Many viewers praised the stunt's creativity and boldness, while still recognising it as satire. Others expressed confusion, questioning whether the orange-landmark idea might actually come to pass.

Industry observers suggest the campaign exemplifies a new marketing paradigm: one in which films are launched not through traditional advertising but via cultural events. The combination of blimps, pop-up merchandise drops, and viral-ready stunts transforms Marty Supreme into more than just a movie — it becomes a shared social experience.

In December's very first days, Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie Marty Supreme a 96% 'fresh' rating, and some reviewers even declared Chalamet's acting to be one of his best ones ever.

Marty Supreme became one of the most anticipated films of 2025 thanks to a combination of provocative marketing, strong source material, and a lead performance too captivating to ignore. Its success was driven as much by social media buzz and clever stunts as by the film's own merits.