LOS ANGELES: David Beckham is to feature in a new global ad campaign for Motorola inspired by 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Terminator.

The campaign, to launch the new Aura phone, breaks internationally from the end of April.

Print ads for the new Motorola handset feature a shirtless Beckham holding the phone, which appears to show an x-ray of the inner workings of half of the footballer's body.

Beckham said: "I love classic watches so a phone that exposes its mechanics while also being so stylish is really unique."

Motorola's new ad, shot in Milan where Beckham has been playing for AC Milan on loan from LA Galaxy, is backlit by a red light that gives the image a similar look to the famous shots of the Terminator.

The campaign was shot by director Anthony Mandler, who has directed a string of music videos for singer Rihanna and previously worked with the footballer as director of the third episode of TV show Snoop Dogg's Father Hood.

Motorola said that the campaign, created by ad agency Ogilvy London, was inspired by renaissance art, "fusing bold classical sculpture with precise anatomical sketches", and modern themes such as mechanisation and robotics. The Aura phone itself was inspired by luxury Swiss watch design.

The mobile phone manufacturer signed up Beckham to be a global brand ambassador in 2006.