The production, previously known as Killing Satoshi, centres on the disputed identity of Bitcoin’s creator and uses artificial intelligence to construct much of its visual environment. Patrick Wachsberger’s company 193 introduced the project to buyers during the May market, while CAA represented its North American rights. The film has not been confirmed as a selection in the Cannes Film Festival’s official competition.
Affleck portrays Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin. Davidson plays Calvin Ayre, a businessman associated with cryptocurrency and online gambling. Gadot appears as Charlotte “Lotte” Miller, a journalist drawn into an investigation of Wright’s claims. Fisher also stars, although details of her character were not disclosed in the initial sales announcement.
The screenplay by Nick Schenk presents Wright’s efforts to establish his identity as a conspiracy thriller involving powerful business figures and threats to his safety. That premise is a fictionalised dramatic treatment, not an established account of the underlying dispute. The distinction is significant because a court in England explicitly rejected Wright’s assertion that he created Bitcoin.
Following litigation brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance, High Court judge James Mellor ruled in March 2024 that Wright was not Satoshi Nakamoto, did not author Bitcoin’s founding white paper and did not create its original software. His detailed judgment, delivered that May, found extensive documentary forgery and false testimony supporting Wright’s position. The identity of the actual creator remains unconfirmed.
The producers, Ryan Kavanaugh and Lawrence Grey, have positioned the film as an experiment in combining conventional acting with AI-assisted filmmaking. Its reported budget is approximately $70 million, compared with a conventional production estimate exceeding $300 million cited by Kavanaugh. Those figures reflect the producers’ assessment rather than independently audited production costs.
Principal photography began in Britain in February and was completed during a short studio shoot. Rather than travelling to the many international locations depicted in the screenplay, performers worked in a specially prepared grey-screen facility in west London. Digital environments, lighting and other visual elements were intended to be developed around footage captured on that stage.
The production retained established filmmaking departments, including cinematography, costumes, production design and physical props. Cinematographer Henry Braham, costume designer Richard Sale and production designer Oliver Scholl were among the senior creative personnel. The producers have stressed that the actors’ recorded performances remain central to the finished images, notwithstanding the extensive digital construction surrounding them.
Gadot subsequently described negotiating unusually detailed contractual protections governing the use of AI. She said the process took six months and that she wanted assurances the technology would not alter her performance. Her comments highlighted the distinction between generating backgrounds and modifying an actor’s likeness or acting, an issue attracting scrutiny across the entertainment industry.
The film also incorporates digitally enhanced portrayals of recognisable public figures, with characters based on technology executives and political leaders. Such appearances form part of the film’s dramatisation and should not be mistaken for participation by those individuals. The approach places additional emphasis on how the production identifies fictional representations to audiences.
For Liman, whose directing credits include The Bourne Identity, Mr & Mrs Smith and Edge of Tomorrow, the project combines a financial mystery with an unconventional production process. He previously worked with Affleck on The Instigators, released in 2024. Schenk’s screenwriting credits include Gran Torino and The Mule.
The Cannes presentation was a commercial sales exercise rather than a confirmed public premiere. Buyers were offered an opportunity to assess footage and distribution prospects, while theatrical release arrangements remained separate from the market launch. The project’s financing and sales structure involves independent companies rather than an announced major-studio release commitment.
Acme AI & FX, established around the production process, operates in Los Angeles and London. Its executives have described plans to apply the technology to additional films, with further facilities under consideration. The Bitcoin production used a former car showroom converted into offices and a filming stage, with neutral lighting and grey surfaces designed for consistent image capture throughout filming, rather than conventional location photography or elaborate and expensive constructed sets.
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