Bitcoin News Today: "Killing Satoshi" Tackles Bitcoin's $64B Mystery in High-Stakes Hollywood Thriller

Killing Satoshi, a new Hollywood thriller centered on the enigmatic identity of Bitcoin’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto, is set to begin filming in October 2025 in London with a 2026 theatrical release. The film, directed by Doug Liman—known for works such as The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith—features Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck in the lead role alongside comedian and actor Pete Davidson. The project marks a high-profile return for Ryan Kavanaugh, the former CEO of Relativity Media, who has positioned himself as a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency space in recent years. Kavanaugh, along with producers Lawrence Grey and Shane Valdez, will oversee production through his firm Proxima in partnership with Aperture Media Partners.

The film’s screenplay, written by Nick Schenk—whose previous collaborations with Clint Eastwood include Gran Torino and The Mule—tells the story of an elite group seeking to suppress the truth behind Nakamoto’s identity. Liman has described the project as a "David and Goliath" narrative, focusing on characters taking on the most powerful forces in the world to uncover the truth about Bitcoin and its origins. The film will explore the geopolitical and financial implications of Bitcoin’s creation in 2009, a development that has long been viewed as a disruptive force to traditional monetary systems and global financial institutions.

Bitcoin’s creator remains one of the most significant unsolved mysteries in modern technology and finance. Analysts estimate that Nakamoto mined roughly one million Bitcoin between 2009 and 2010, a holding that would be worth approximately $64 billion if liquidated today. Despite numerous theories and investigations, none of the wallets attributed to Nakamoto have moved their coins beyond initial test transactions. This mystery has fueled speculation and conspiracy theories for over a decade, making it an ideal subject for a thriller that combines political intrigue, high-tech espionage, and global power struggles.

This is not the first time Hollywood has explored Bitcoin on screen. Last year, HBO released Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, a documentary that controversially claimed the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto to be Peter Todd, a prominent Bitcoin developer, though the claim was denied by Todd. Unlike previous crypto-themed films and documentaries, Killing Satoshi is one of the first major studio productions to treat the topic as a mainstream thriller with a broad audience appeal. The project is expected to draw comparisons to The Social Network, another film that examined the creation and implications of a groundbreaking technological innovation.

Production oversight is being managed by U.K.-based The Production Lens, co-founded by Kavanaugh, Grey, and veteran producer Garret Grant. The film’s cast and crew are represented by major talent agencies including CAA, WME, and Independent Artists Group, reflecting the project’s scale and ambition. As the production moves forward, it is being closely watched as a potential landmark in mainstream entertainment’s treatment of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The film’s release in 2026 is expected to coincide with a period of heightened interest in Bitcoin, particularly as the market approaches potential events like a halving and increased institutional adoption.

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