Exclusive: Trent Reznor lends voice, revamped Nine Inch Nails track to 'Fringe' promo

It may not be a paranormal event, but it’s cool and unusual: Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has teamed up with Fringe for a new promo spot, EW.com has learned. The spot, which debuts Thursday during Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, features a reworking of the Nine Inch Nails song “Zero-Sum” by Reznor, who recites lines of dialogue from Fringe’s William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) over the music. So, how did the freaky drama series secure the services of Reznor? After Fox’s marketing department showed the Fringe producers a version of the promo that used “Zero-Sum,” series exec producer Jeff Pinkner simply asked a nearby Reznor acquaintance—that’d be co-creator J.J. Abrams—if the NIN musician might be interested in a collaboration. One email later, Reznor was on the case. “We offered him compensation, and he said, ‘No, no, I just want to have fun and be part of something cool,’” says Pinkner, adding: “How often do you get the chance to work with somebody like that?”

Reznor wound up revamping the song in his mobile studio while on tour, and he even came up with the idea of “embedding” one of the show’s glyphs in the music. (Hint: Examine the song’s sound waves on a computer.) Now for the big question: Might Reznor pop up in an episode of Fringe? “If he wants to come act on the show, that’s not tit for tat—that’s an open invitation, and we made that known to him,” says Pinkner. Any ideas on what he may play? “Well, his head would probably end up exploding,” deadpans Pinkner. “There’d be some uncomfortable biology in there one way or another.”

Here’s your exclusive first look at the Fringe promo:

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Photo Credit: Reznor: Rob Sheridan