The Fringe unleashes NFTs to finance a sci-fi cinematic universe

Future. Sci-fi filmmakers Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell are debuting an NFT collection that will be used to develop and finance a new cinematic universe called The Fringe. With holders having a hand in decisions from pre-production all the way to completion, The Fringe could be a beta test for creating a blockbuster franchise through community building… and maybe even firm up a built-in audience for an original idea.

Space on the blockchain
Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell, the filmmakers behind the SXSW hit feature Prospect, are turning to the blockchain to launch The Fringe.

• The duo put together a group of creators called the TAKA Artist Collective to develop an NFT collection called “Drifters.”
• The Drifters (which is set to release next month) represent the “working-class Joes and Janes” that will inhabit the world of The Fringe.

NFT holders will be able to compete to have their character in the first film or other stories and gain access to the private Discord server, The Bench, where they can chat with the filmmakers and get an inside look at the development process.

The sale of the NFTs will go toward financing a wide range of projects set in The Fringe universe, including features films, shows, graphic novels, and podcasts.

Community-owned IP
Like Reese Witherspoon’s partnership with the World of Women (WoW) NFT collective, Earl and Caldwell believe that NFT and Web3 represent a way to create “community-owned IP.” Earl likened the blockchain-backed plans for The Fringe to “Star Wars, if you could cut out the corporate machine and unite artists and fans.”

The filmmakers are already looking at how the community can evolve after the first film, hoping to form “a formal incubator with voting capabilities,” where NFT holders will “participate in making creative and logistical decisions around the future of the universe.”

Could the next billion-dollar franchise stem from an NFT community?