Sir Anthony Hopkins is spreading his wings into the metaverse.
The Oscar-winning actor and artist has teamed up withOrange Comet, a Web3 creative studio startup, to create and launch his first NFT series, dubbed the Eternal Collection.
“NFTs are a blank canvas to create art in a new format,” Hopkins told reporters during an online press conference.
According to Hopkins, 84, the metaverse “offers an incredible opportunity to connect with an audience in an entirely different way… I’m probably the oldest guy in the NFT community and on social media, which proves all is possible at any age.”
The Eternal Collection digital collectibles are intended to “conceptualize” 10 different character archetypes Hopkins has portrayed over his film career — including Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs” and Odin in three of Marvel’s “Thor” movies — and incorporating themes and styles from the actor’s body of artwork.
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The Hopkins NFTs will drop in mid-September on OpenSea, the industry-leading NFT marketplace, according to Dave Broome, CEO of Orange Comet. A portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to a charity to be designated by Hopkins and his wife, Stella Arroyave.
The NFTs will be released in three phases:
- Iconic Category: A single animated NFT, which will be auctioned to the highest bidder, incorporating all 10 archetypes (The Giver, The Hero, The Jester, The Ruler, The Lover, The Explorer, The Creator, The Sage, The Rebel and The Magician). The winning bidder also will receive framed prints of NFT art autographed by Hopkins, an “intimate lunch/brunch” with the actor, and an autographed copy of “Dreamscapes,” featuring hundreds of full-color images of paintings and drawings by Hopkins.
- Legendary Category: 10 unique one-of-one animated NFTs, each featuring a different character archetype. Those buyers also will get a personal discussion with Hopkins (via Discord) plus framed prints of NFT art autographed by Hopkins and an autographed “Dreamscapes” book.
- Distinguished Category: 1,000 unique one-of-one images based on the 10 archetypes (100 variants for each). Includes a print of one of the NFT archetypes autographed by Hopkins. In addition, 39 random buyers will receive an autographed “Dreamscapes” book and five buyers will be randomly selected for a Discord chat with the actor.
Hopkins emerged as a painter in 2005 with a solo exhibition curated by Harte International Galleries featuring his abstract works. The NFT project kicked off when Margam Fine Art, the sole management company of Hopkins’ original art, reached out to Orange Comet looking to bring his artwork to the world of NFTs. “This relationship is a superb symbiosis of technology and art from one of the finest actors and artists of our day,” said Broome.
Orange Comet’s Broome is a TV producer whose credits include “The Biggest Loser,” “Ultimate Beastmaster” and “Jennifer Lopez: Halftime.” He co-founded Orange Comet in early 2021, when the NFT craze was first blossoming, with the idea that a winning strategy would be to develop original digital-collectible content based on well-known Hollywood properties. So far, the company’s biggest NFT project has been for AMC Networks’ “The Walking Dead.”
Broome said Orange Comet also is teaming with filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld to produce 3D collectible NFTs based on his “Dinosaurs vs. Aliens” graphic novel. “He never got it sold to a movie studio,” Broome said. If Orange Comet can establish an avid community of fans for “Dinosaurs vs. Aliens,” Broome’s plan is to go back to pitch the movie project to Hollywood: “I’m reverse-engineering the process.”
Broome acknowledged that the NFT sector today is like the dot-com boom of the late 1990s — rife with speculators trying to make a fast buck. “The barrier to entry of NFTs is so low… There’s a glut of junk in NFTs,” he said. “The strong will survive, make no mistake. Web3 and blockchain technology are a game-changer.” Broome said the company has more than 40 entertainment-related projects in the works, most of which he can’t discuss yet. Orange Comet’s backers include Gloria and Emilio Estefan and NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner.
Hopkins’ Eternal Collection NFT designs were overseen by Orange Comet chief creative officer Dante Ferrarini and Hopkins himself. While Orange Comet used reference photos of Hopkins to create the NFTs, all of the animations and images in the collection are CGI-generated. More info is available at this link.
Watch Orange Comet’s trailer for the Hopkins NFT collection:
