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‘The Matrix’ Is Coming As an NFT Project Ahead of ‘Resurrections’

BY Anna Chan •

November 02, 2021

The Matrix franchise is taking the red pill. Warner Bros. will be releasing NFTs inspired by the sci-fi film series’ and its next installment, The Matrix: Resurrections, The Hollywood Reporter reported Nov. 2.

The NFT project won’t be of scenes from the films. Rather, it’ll be a PFP project, meaning the NFTs will be avatars. In this case, the PFPs will represent characters who live in The Matrix. PFPs have been exploding in popularity thanks to the coveted projects such as CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club, whose NFTs have been selling for sky-high amounts. (For reference, a collection of Bored Ape NFTs sold for an astounding $24.4 million during a September Sotheby’s auction.)

The project — which Warner Bros. is partnering with the Nifty’s NFT platform to release — consists of 100,000 avatars that will cost $50 a pop. The NFTs, which will be randomly generated, will begin minting on Nov. 30. What’s more, taking another page from the Apes, beginning Dec. 16, collectors will be able to take a “Blue Pill” or a “Red Pill” — just as Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) offered to Neo (Keanu Reeves) in the first film. Taking the blue pill will keep the NFT avatar in The Matrix, while taking the red pill turns it into a resistance fighter.

Wake up

On 11/30, collect your Matrix avatars exclusively on Nifty’s. Created by Nifty's and @warnerbros, and made using Epic Games’ MetaHuman Creator, these NFTs bring to life this iconic franchise in a whole new way.

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— Nifty's (@Niftys) November 2, 2021

Jeff Marsilio, the CEO and co-founder of Nifty’s, explained in a post that the project’s avatars were built with “Epic Game’s hyper-realistic MetaHuman Creator,” and those choosing to take the red pill will see their NFTs develop “entirely new features inspired by the heroes of the Matrix films.” What’s more, the project will give collectors a “multi-year experience” that includes “missions” that let users earn NFTs and upgrade.

“Given that enthusiasm [for the franchise], and the very nature of what The Matrix story and settings are about, an NFT program seemed perfect,” Pam Lifford, the president of WarnerMedia Global Brands and Experiences told THR of the project.

The Matrix franchise is just the latest to enter the NFT space, which has exploded in 2021. Earlier on Nov. 2, Quentin Tarantino announced that he’s releasing a collection of seven Pulp Fiction NFTs featuring previously unseen scenes from his 1994 classic film. And in October, just in time for Halloween, the Lionsgate partnered with Tom Brady’s platform, Autograph, to drop a collection of Saw NFTs, with Twilight, Hunger Games, John Wick and more pop culture NFT projects in the works.

The Matrix: Resurrections arrives Dec. 22.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros./Nifty’s