By Tim Alper
If you thought the Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin‘s recent appearance in a low-budget video shot in the acting couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ living room was weird, you aint seen nothing yet. The crypto pioneer is now set to star as a dead cat oracle who dishes out advice to five living drugged-up kitties...alongside Jane Fonda.
It turns out that the video the trio shot last week was a mere teaser for a wider collaboration that revolves around Kunis‘ latest non-fungible token (NFT)-powered project, an adult comedy animated series named “Stoner Cats.” The series is being co-produced by Kunis’ own production firm.
On the official website for the series – which will not stream on Netflix and the like – the producers revealed that only viewers who purchase NFTs will be able to view full episodes. The Ethereum connection will be strong: Not only will Buterin voice a key character, but the entire cast will be paid in ETH tokens.
And that cast is nothing short of stellar: As well as Kutcher and Kunis, both Hollywood A-listers in their own right, Jane Fonda, a two-time Oscar winner and the brains behind that seminal 1980s workout video, will play Ms. Stoner, the dotty old lady owner of the five titular cats whose medical marijuana is what helps the cats get stoned.
The cats themselves will be voiced by Kutcher, Kunis, the actor and comedian Chris Rock and Seth MacFarlane (playing two roles). And Buterin will play the sage-like Lord Catsington, aka “The Spirit Guide.” The producers explained that Catsington is “Ms. Stoners oldest dead cat,” who “acts as an oracle, sharing wisdom and knowledge from their illustrious past life with Ms. Stoner.”
Per CoinDesk, Morgan Beller, a general partner at the venture company NFX and part of the “Stoner Cats” production team, the show‘s makers made a number of alterations to the script to better suit Buterin’s character.
Beller was quoted as stating that the Ethereum co-founder “doesn‘t like cursing and his character said ’fuck a few times.” Buterin “asked if they could change that and they were accommodating,” he added.
Furthermore, as all of the actors will be paid in ETH, the team “had to teach Jane Fonda how to set up a MetaMask wallet.”
The producers added that an inial 10,420 Stoner Cats NFTs would be minted on the Ethereum blockchain, but also stated that at least 50% of that amount would need to sell on the primary market if the season were to be completed.
