'Killing Satoshi': $70M Bitcoin Film Starring Casey Affleck Will Make Heavy Use of AI

An upcoming full-feature movie produced with artificial intelligence will star crypto and its leading asset, Bitcoin, according to a report from The Wrap.

"Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi," directed by "Bourne Identity" director Doug Liman, will feature a star-studded cast including Gal Gadot and Casey Affleck. Designed as a thriller focusing on Bitcoin and the search for its pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, the film follows a plot across continents and some 200 locations of various climates, according to producer Ryan Kavanaugh.

"We decided to use AI very early on," Kavanaugh told The Wrap. "We budgeted out what it would be to do it practically, and it was over $300 million," he said. "We decided to use AI to create the world."

The film was shot inside a former car showroom that they wrapped in a gray screen, earning it the moniker "The Gray Box." According to reports, the settings and lighting were produced with AI, but the performances were all the work of real actors. "The performance is captured in a very unique way using our AI protocols," Kavanaugh added.

"Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi" is expected to be shopped to potential buyers at the Cannes International Film Festival in May. The film's timing is notable given the resurgent conversation around Satoshi Nakamoto's identity, following a New York Times expose naming Adam Back as the creator, which Back denied. Other recent attempts to unmask Satoshi include the 2024 HBO documentary "Money Electric" and the upcoming film "Finding Satoshi."

The mysterious Bitcoin founder disappeared from the internet in 2011. Satoshi's estimated stash of 1.1 million BTC is currently valued at approximately $81 billion, according to Arkham Intelligence.