Hollywood will shoot and release its first movie centered on cryptocurrency this year, industry media report today, June 15.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, ‘Crypto’ will focus on laundering of virtual assets and see star roles from the cast of popular US series including Westworld and Mad Men.
The lead roles will be played by Beau Knapp of Netflix’s Seven Seconds, as well as Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls fame.
“Cryptocurrency has captured the attention and imagination of consumers and entrepreneurs all over the world but has never been explored in film in such a nuanced and exciting way,” co-producer Jordan Levine told the publication.
Set in upstate New York, the indie “thriller” will tell the story of how an anti-money laundering agent uncovers a network of fraud and corruption in a small town.
Bledel will play the source of the corrupt activities, in the form of a “mysterious art dealer.”
Director John Stalberg Jr. meanwhile was upbeat about the project, calling its subject matter “timely.”
“I am overjoyed to be working with such an incredible cast to bring this timely, thrilling story to life,” he told the Reporter.
The cryptocurrency industry has until now seen representation in movie productions closer to home, in the form of documentaries such as ‘The Rise And Rise Of Bitcoin’ and ‘Bitcoin: The End of Money As We Know It,’ an earlier release from 2014 which raised money via Kickstarter.
Earlier this week, the topic of art and cryptocurrency curiously crossed paths outside entertainment, when Terence Eden criticized blockchain startup Verisart for allowing him to give the impression he had painted the Mona Lisa.
Bitcoin core developer Peter Todd subsequently defended the company, saying Eden had “misunderstood” its premise.