Satoshi Nakamoto is a man whose very existence remains hotly debated. Now the Bitcoin creator is getting the big-screen treatment.
Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) has signed on to direct “Killing Satoshi,” a conspiracy thriller that looks to unravel one of the most enduring mysteries of the 21st century: the secret identity of Nakamoto and why the answer threatens the global power structure. Oscar winner Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) and Pete Davidson (“The King of Staten Island”) will star in the film, with their character descriptions being kept under wraps.
Nick Schenk, who has collaborated with Clint Eastwood on two of his more recent movies — “Gran Torino” and “The Mule” — wrote the screenplay, which traces an elite cabal’s diabolical plans to make sure that the truth never surfaces.
“Killing Satoshi” marks the mainstream Hollywood return of Ryan Kavanaugh, the high-flying Relativity Media chief who financed such films as “The Social Network,” “The Fighter” and “The Fast and the Furious” before spiraling into bankruptcy in 2015. Kavanaugh, who became a cryptocurrency proponent in recent years, is producing alongside Lawrence Grey (“Lights Out,” “Yes Day”) and Shane Valdez (“American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars”). Jared Underwood of Aperture Media is executive producing.
The project was originally developed by Kavanaugh and is being fully financed through his production company Proxima in conjunction with Aperture Media Partners. Filming is set to begin in October in London, with an expected 2026 release.
The 2009 creation of Bitcoin rocked the foundation of global finance. To adherents, Nakamoto is considered a hero who empowered individuals to take back control of money. To some governments and the largest corporations, his creation is viewed as a destabilizing threat to their control.
Most blockchain analysts estimate that Nakamoto mined about 1 million Bitcoin between 2009 and 2010. If alive, Nakamoto would be worth about $64 billion, making him among the top 20 richest people in the world. None of the wallets attributed to Nakamoto have ever moved their coins other than test transactions in the very beginning. The fortune remains untouched.
“I love David and Goliath stories. ‘Killing Satoshi’ follows unlikely antiheroes taking on the most powerful people on the planet in an epic battle that strikes at the core of what is money and who controls it,” Liman said. ‘I’m so excited to be collaborating with Casey Affleck again opposite the incredible Pete Davidson.” (Liman and Affleck previously teamed on last year’s Apple TV+ heist comedy “The Instigators.”)
Adds Kavanaugh: “This is not just a movie about Bitcoin and its elusive and mysterious origins but really about what it stands for. We look at this film much the same way as we did with ‘Social Network’ and its examination of Facebook. This should equally be a look into the world of what Bitcoin really is.”
According to the filmmakers, the film “weaves together political intrigue, high-tech espionage and a race against time as forces across the globe — spanning governments, Wall Street and Silicon Valley — wage an all-out battle for control.”
“Killing Satoshi” is being fully overseen by U.K.-based the Production Lens, which was founded by Kavanaugh, Grey and veteran producer Garret Grant (“The Matrix Resurrections,” “Blue Beetle”).
Liman is repped by CAA and the law firm Weintraub Tobin Chediak. Affleck and Davidson are handled by WME. Affleck is additionally managed by Range Media Partners, while Davidson is also repped by Ayala Cohen Management and the law firm Granderson Des Rochers. Schenk is represented by Independent Artists Group, Entertainment 360 and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols. UTA and the law firms Lichter, Grossman, Nichols and Loeb & Loeb negotiated the deal, which came together quickly on behalf of Grey and Kavanaugh.
