The Cast Of Napoleon Dynamite Is Reuniting For A New Project
The cast of Napoleon Dynamite is reuniting for an animated short titled Cyko KO, funded by NFTs.
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All of your wildest dreams are about to come true: the cast of the 2004 cult classic comedy Napoleon Dynamite are reuniting to provide their voices for an animated pilot. The cast won’t be reprising their roles from the Jared Hess film for a Napoleon sequel, however, but rather voicing characters for Cyko KO, a short based on the Alterna comic book by Rob Feldman. Jon Heder (Napoleon), Tina Majorino (Deb), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) are all on board the animated project, which will release using blockchain technology exclusively on Replay’s Rewarded.TV streaming service after being funded through sales of NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
According to a report by Deadline, Jon Heder will voice Cyko KO, described as a “fourth-wall breakin’, pinball-addicted, cereal eatin’, motorcycle-ridin’ hero.” Alterna Comics publisher Peter Simeti described the character as Deadpool if he joined the Hanna Barbera animated universe, and the comic is described as a Saturday morning cartoon-inspired, all-ages title. The comic book, and 12-minute animated pilot, will follow Cyko Ko, his sidekick Peachy Keen, and their pet Meemop, as they protect the colonies of SuperEarth from giant, colorful monsters and assorted crazy characters.
The roles the other cast members will voice have not been announced, although it’s a safe bet Tina Majorino will voice Peachy Keen. Cyko KO is a Ringo Award-nominated comic book, and the project goes into production once funds are raised through the sale of Cyko KO NFTS sold by Theta Labs’ ThetaDrop. The NFTS will unlock not just the pilot, but other shows on Rewarded.TV, as well as perks like getting to meet the Napoleon Dynamite cast.
Heder is a founding member of Replay, the company behind Rewarded.TV, which features content from a number of Hollywood actors.
Upon its release in 2004, Napoleon Dynamite was a surprise indie hit for Fox Searchlight, earning over $44 million in the United States on a reported budget of only $400,000. Napoleon Dynamite has only grown its fandom in the years since, as cable showings and DVD sales boosted its popularity. It also found a second life through memes and GIFs, as the internet took advantage of the film’s highly-quotable dialogue.
In the years since its release, the cast of Napoleon Dynamite found themselves instantly recognizable and went on to appear in a number of projects, including Jon Heder, who went on to star in Blades of Glory, The Benchwarmers, and a number of animated films and TV series. Tina Majorino went on to appear in True Blood, Grey’s Anatomy, and Veronica Mars, while Efren Ramirez appeared in Lightyear and Eastbound & Down. Jon Gries went on to appear in Taken, Lost, The White Lotus, and Supernatural.
In 2012, the entire cast reunited for a Napoleon Dynamite animated series for Fox, which lasted one season and six episodes. In addition to Heder, Majorino, Ramirez, and Gries, Jared and Jerusha Hess returned to write the series. Other cast members reprised their roles, including Aaron Ruell (Kip), Sandy Martin as Grandma, Haylie Duff as Summer, and Diedrich Bader as Rex of Rex Kwan-Do.
More information on the Cyko KO animated pilot can be found on the official Cyko KO website.
