Stephen Chow’s Web3 Venture: Ai, NFTs, and the Future of Film

Hong Kong’s ‘King of Comedy’, the esteemed actor-director Stephen Chow, is delving into the realm of Web3 and AI, partnering with the cryptocurrency platform OKX.

The collaboration was hinted at on Chow’s Instagram, featuring him in a Zoom meeting with the caption, “Grateful to assemble a team of like-minded Web3 enthusiasts. They are presently working on a Web3 plus AI project. Perhaps soon there will be my own AI to stand in for me in meetings.”

In response to Chow’s post, OKX commented, expressing its pleasure at the meeting and pride in being one of his ‘Web3 buddies’.

This step comes after Chow’s previous appeal for Web3 talents, underscoring his dedication to moulding a technologically-driven creative future. In a post from October 2022, he uploaded an image of himself penning a recruitment message in Chinese, which declared he was ‘searching for a brilliant Web3 talent in the shadows’. The ideal individual would possess Web3 knowledge, project management skills, intelligence, and compassion.

Recently, OKX’s investment division, OKX Ventures, invested USD$1 million in Moonbox, a Hong Kong-based start-up focusing on Web3 and AI. Notably, Moonbox holds the IP rights for some of Chow’s films, such as 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' and 'The Mermaid'. They aim to produce a series of AI-driven NFTs and applications influenced by art and cinema by the close of 2023.

Chow is celebrated both domestically and internationally for his distinctive ‘Mo lei tau’ comedy, a variation of slapstick. Films like ‘Shaolin Soccer’ (2001) and ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ (2004) are not merely seen as groundbreaking in the martial arts domain but also stand out as some of Hong Kong's most iconic comedies.

This partnership reflects the global marketing world's keenness to engage with NFT and metaverse-centric projects. As the boundaries between the virtual and tangible realms blur, Chow’s endeavour may lead the way in fusing Web3 and AI with cinema, ushering in a revolutionary filmic journey.