A new $70 million Bitcoin movie is in post-production, telling Craig Wright's version of the Satoshi Nakamoto story. According to reports, the film is directed by Doug Liman and features Casey Affleck as Wright, with AI versions of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Jack Dorsey appearing on screen. The star cast includes Gal Gadot, Calvin Ayre, Pete Davidson and Isla Fisher. The movie uses artificial intelligence to build sets, with actors performing on bare stages while software generates environments, as reported by producers.
Despite the movie's backing of Wright, the High Court of England and Wales ruled in 2024 that Wright did not write the Bitcoin white paper and did not create the network. As reported by the court judgment, Mr Justice Mellor found forgery on a grand scale and stated that "Dr Wright lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly." Following this ruling, Wright drew a suspended 12-month sentence after filing a £900 billion claim against Bitcoin developers and companies in December 2024.
Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès, who ran the exchange until its 2014 collapse, responded to the movie by instructing viewers to link to bitcoin.movie. According to reports, that page names no author but argues that the film inverts what judges actually found. Karpelès has a history with Wright, as his lawyers claimed ownership of coins sitting in two hacked Mt. Gox wallets in 2020. Despite this record, Wright continues to post online, recently arguing that Bitcoin's base rules should never change.
The movie's backers include Calvin Ayre, Wright's longtime financial backer, who reportedly helped fund the production. As reported by sellers, the film was pitched at the Cannes market in April, but no distributor has signed on since, meaning no release date exists. The timing coincides with Bitcoin's origin story returning to headlines, with recent claims including a New York Times investigation that named Blockstream CEO Adam Back, who denied the allegations. Bitcoin itself has shown recent strength, reclaiming $81,000 on Thursday amid reports suggesting the Iran war could be over.
