Apple and the independent movie studio A24 are in the early stages of developing a film about the convicted crypto con artist Sam Bankman Fried, the founder of the crypto exchange FTX. Reports suggest that Lena Dunham is writing the script for the project. The movie will be based on Michael Lewis’s book “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.” Lewis, one of the last individuals to interact with Fried before his conviction, was profiling him at the time of the FTX collapse.
Critics have found the book to be quite empathetic towards the disgraced FTX founder. The book chronicles the meteoric rise and equally vertiginous fall of Bankman-Fried and his FTX crypto exchange and Alameda hedge fund. It portrays Bankman-Fried as a benevolent prodigy and reportedly glosses over the fact that he embezzled billions of dollars from customers and spent them on celebrity endorsements, political donations, and high-end real estate purchases.
At its peak, FTX was worth billions of dollars, but the exchange eventually collapsed, leading to Bankman Fried’s conviction for fraud and a 25-year prison sentence. While most FTX customers will receive their original investments back plus interest, this is based on the Bitcoin price of around $17,000, which is currently $91,458.
There are other books about Bankman Fried, such as “The Numbers Go UP” by Zeke Faux, which exposes the dark and scammy side of crypto promoters like Bankman Fried and the entire industry in general.
This is not the first collaboration between Apple and A24. They have also announced a movie directed by legendary Spike Lee and Oscar winner Denzel Washington called “High and Low.” Other FTX-scripted projects are in the works, including a limited Amazon Prime series from the Russo brothers, who directed “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
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