Almost exactly one year after Kevin Smith first announced that his horror anthology KillRoy Was Here would be sold as an NFT, more details have finally been unveiled, via Deadline. Along with this information comes the news that there’s going to be a sequel to KillRoy Was Here! Smith will be shooting one chapter of the sequel next year, while the rest of the movie will consist of segments created by fans who purchase the NFT.
I only know enough about NFTs to know that I have zero interest in the stuff, so I’ll just quote the information directly from the press release:
Filmmaker Kevin Smith and his producers Jordan Monsanto of SmodCo and David Shapiro of Semkhor have partnered with Secret Network’s Legendao to launch NFTs of their horror anthology, KillRoy Was Here. Smith’s film will be the first in history released in this format, expanding the possibilities of what NFTs can provide in a quickly evolving entertainment business. The movie itself – along with exclusive content from the film, behind-the-scenes footage, and a commentary track – will be launched as a 5,555-piece generative art NFT collection on Secret Network’s primary NFT minting platform, Legendao, which will collaborate with Semkhor and Curio, the premier NFT platform for entertainment brands, to produce the KillRoy Was Here collection.
Buyers of the KillRoy Was Here NFT will have exclusive ownership of one-of-a-kind KillRoy art and other aforementioned materials surrounding the film, as well as viewing access to the pic itself, which will be unavailable to anyone without the special “crypto key” the NFT provides. More uniquely, the KillRoy NFT offers the opportunity for art collectors to become artistic collaborators in creating the sequel to the film.
“When you buy the KillRoy NFT, you get exclusive access to the movie. But more importantly, the specific version of KillRoy you get is YOUR KillRoy to do with whatever you want: Make your own movie, turn it into a cartoon, license him for lunchboxes!” said Smith. “We started the story, now YOU get to continue it with your very own version of our titular character! And along with a brand new chapter I’ll shoot next year, the shorts and animation that the KillRoy NFT owners create with their own KillRoy’s will make up the bulk of our sequel anthology. The KillRoy NFT offers an exciting and unique opportunity to go from art collector to collaborating artist!”
Secret Network, the first blockchain with data privacy by default for smart contracts, allows users to build and use applications that are both permissionless and privacy-preserving. This unique functionality protects users, secures applications and unlocks hundreds of never-before-possible use cases for Web3.
“This release is made possible by Secret Network’s Legendao NFT technology, which ensures that the NFT content can only be accessed by the owner themselves,” said Guy Zyskind, CEO of SCRT Labs, which powers Legendao and Secret Network. “It opens the door for distributing all kinds of digital content as NFTs: Movies, TV shows, music – anything – can be reshaped for Web3.”
So if you really want to see KillRoy Was Here, you’ll have to be into NFTs. Even then, only 5,555 people will be able to get this NFT. Smith added on Twitter that “We’ll be having a series of free screenings for the folks who don’t collect NFTs, so they can see it too if they’re interested!”
Chances are there are still going to be plenty of fans who want to see the movie but won’t be able to attend those screenings, so this seems like a release strategy that will generate a lot of disappointment. I’m already bummed out about it. Hopefully the movie (and its sequel) will get a better release down the line.
Directed by Smith from a script by Smith and Andy McElfresh, “KillRoy Was Here” is a throwback anthology horror film featuring a creature that kills evil adults at the behest of victimized kids.
Smith’s KillRoy Was Here NFT launch will take place on the Legendao platform in the second quarter of this year… which we’re already in, so it will be quite soon.
What do you think about this plan? Are you into NFTs? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.