Actress Mena Suvari has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her work as Detective Thompson in the sci-fi series RZR, backed by Web3 entertainment company Gala Film. RZR follows the story of Grimm, played by RZR creator David Bianchi, through a dystopian version of Los Angeles.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced Suvari's nomination for the 76th annual awards show on Wednesday. Suvari, who won a Screen Actors Guild award for her role as Angela Hayes in 1999's American Beauty, is nominated for outstanding performer in a short-form company or drama series.
“We are the first ever Web3 project to ever rise to these levels—I am absolutely elated,” Bianchi told Decrypt in an exclusive interview. “The fact that we got a home run nomination is a testament to the show, a testament to the creativity, a testament to the team.”
The RZR series was a collaboration between Bianchi’s Exertion3 Films and decentralized streaming platform Gala Film, and kicked off last January with a table read featuring the early stars of RZR. In April 2023, it was revealed that Suvari and iconic film star Danny Trejo had joined the cast.
In March of this year, Bianchi premiered the first two episodes of RZR to a packed house at the Los Angeles office of Metaverse game developer The Sandbox. Bianchi compared RZR to a cross between Black Mirror and Mr. Robot.
He said RZR is unique in the 2024 Emmy race because it was marketed and supported with NFTs, cryptocurrency and Web3 community support. The production also used NFTs and digital art from actual Web3 artists in the series.
“I am absolutely convinced that within the next three to five years, everything that we interact with—from music, film, intellectual property, even information systems—will be somehow tethered to a blockchain mechanism,” Bianchi previously told Decrypt.
Bianchi highlighted the partnership with Gala Film, which streamed the eight-episode RZR.
“[The nomination] is literally tectonic plates shifting, not just for RZR, but for Gala Film,” Bianchi noted. “I have to acknowledge Gala Film for believing in me because I remember pitching them this idea, and we went through a lot of back and forth before they greenlit a budget to make this happen.”
But while Suvari’s nomination is a milestone for Web3 entertainment, according to Bianchi, there is still more to do leading up to the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony.
“What happens now is that there's going to be more marketing, and then there's going to be a new voting window, which happens in August, where all the Academy members will come back to the ballot, and then they will vote for who they believe should win in the nominated categories,” Bianchi explained.
Whether or not Suvari wins for her role in RZR, the story will continue, Bianchi said.
“I've been actively developing season two,” Bianchi said. “The treatment is ready, the schedule has been built, and now it's really just working with [Gala Film] closely and awaiting them to greenlight a season two.”
Pointing to Suvari’s long career in and starring in generation-defining movies like American Beauty and American Pie, Bianchi is optimistic about her chances of picking up the win.
“We actually have a very, very good chance of winning because of who Mena Suvari is,” Bianchi said. “Mena Suvari is an icon.”
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.