In July 2014, we told you about Bob Thunder: Internet Assassin, a feature film born from a collaboration between Relativity Media’s digital wing, online video platform FilmOn, and creator Joe Nation. The film follows Nation’s Bob Thunder character as he goes on a mission to hunt down YouTube stars and kill them.
More than a year later, Bob Thunder is set to premiere. The film will be available for video on-demand (VOD) download beginning on October 27th. In advance of its arrival, Nation has released the film’s trailer, and my god, it’s full of (YouTube) stars. As an annotation in the video states, there are more than 50 YouTubers in the cast. Nation stars as himself, and other personalities who portray embellished versions of themselves include Joey Graceffa, Swoozie, PrankVsPrank, and Chester See.
While the titular assassin’s trip through his YouTube hit list is
Bob Thunder’s central premise, the film is also a satire about the current state about the online video industry and the relationship between multi-channel networks, creators, and brands. In that sense, it sounds similar to Smosh: The Movie, another film led by YouTube stars that lampoons the video site’s idiosyncrasies. ‘It’s the ultimate in digitally native entertainment,” said the film’s producer, Alki David, in a press release. “Its subject is the digital world, its got the biggest stars in social media, and its being released directly to consumers in the broadest and easiest possible way.”If Bob Thunder’s formula sounds appealing to you, you can pre-order the film from FilmOn’s website. A rental costs $6.99, while purchasing the film will run you $9.99.
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