Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins’ new film will be tokenized and sold on an up-and-coming NFT marketplace for movies dubbed “Vuele.”
The 83-year-old Hopkins has had a celebrated career and won two Oscars and two Emmys, starring in notable films including Silence of the Lambs, The Elephant Man, the Thor franchise and The Father.
The new feature-length film is called “Zero Contact” and has been produced by independent film finance and production company, Enderby Entertainment.
According to Enderby, the story follows five characters from around the globe “connected only by their devotion to tech titan Finley Hart (Hopkins).”
The five characters discover a secret invention by the tech titan, and collaborate to shut it down as it provides “either the solution to mankind’s problems or the end of life on earth.”
Zero Contact was produced remotely in 17 different territories during the early waves of the global pandemic in 2020, and the production relied heavily on using Zoom to shoot scenes. The script is by Cam Cannon and is set to drop on Vuele around late July to early August.
“Everything about this film is unconventional, from the way we shot it using Zoom and remote production, to its distribution,” said producer/director Rick Dugdale of Enderby.
The film’s distribution will consist of up to NFT five drops on Vuele, and will “include the film, plus extras still to be determined that would vary from token to token to create different price points.”
Dugdale notes that Enderby chose to launch the film via NFTs because the underlying tech enables the firm to create verifiable “scarcity in copies of the film, and protects against piracy.”
The Vuele Marketplace is centered on movie distribution and film viewing, and users of the platform can purchase content in crypto or fiat currency. Zero Contact appears to be the only project announced at this stage, and the firm hasn’t specified which blockchain the marketplace is built on. Vuele’s website states:
“Members will have the opportunity to purchase and watch feature-length films and highly sought-after content, including behind-the-scenes and never-before-seen footage, bonus features, exclusive Q&As, #filmobilia, and so much more.”
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There appears to be a growing trend of film and television productions that either utilize blockchain tech or are focused on crypto narratives.
Cointelegraph reported on July 8 that a new reality show is casting crypto users who have been locked out of their wallets. The series will offer consultation from crypto and cybersecurity experts to help users try and recover access to their funds.
Earlier this month, the AMM Global production company announced an upcoming 12-episode series dubbed “Crypto Keepers” set for 2022, with the story focused on NFTs and a competition between developers from Hong Kong and America to create a new digital currency.
In June, Fox Corp. announced the launch of a $100 million creative fund for NFTs to accompany its new NFT firm Blockchain Creative Labs.
Blockchain Creative Labs will provide dedicated NFT marketplaces for partnered shows, such as a new animated series dubbed “Krapopolis” from Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon.