Hollywood Stars Diving Into Bitcoin Lore: Pete Davidson Joins Major Thriller on Satoshi Mystery

The intersection of entertainment and cryptocurrency is heating up. Pete Davidson and Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck are teaming up for an ambitious new film that puts Bitcoin’s anonymous creator front and center. Helmed by director Doug Liman—the mastermind behind spy thrillers “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”—this project signals growing mainstream appetite for stories rooted in blockchain culture.

The Film: Stakes, Intrigue, and Unlikely Heroes

“Killing Satoshi” marks a bold venture into territory where geopolitics meets financial mystery. Written by Nick Schenk, a frequent partner to filmmaker Clint Eastwood on projects like “Gran Torino,” the screenplay frames the hunt for Bitcoin’s creator as an epic power struggle. Pete Davidson and Casey Affleck inhabit characters caught between world governments, banking dynasties, and tech power brokers—all competing to uncover or control the identity behind Satoshi Nakamoto.

Liman conceptualized the narrative through a “David and Goliath” lens, though specifics about who these protagonists and antagonists are remain under wraps. The central tension revolves around competing global forces engaged in a high-stakes race, with money, authority, and technological supremacy hanging in the balance. Rather than straightforward heroism, the film emphasizes antiheroes navigating impossible odds against entrenched institutional power.

Why Bitcoin Narratives Are Breaking Into Mainstream Cinema

Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator has long captivated public imagination as both mythic figure and unsolved riddle. The cultural fascination with Satoshi Nakamoto extends beyond cryptocurrency enthusiasts—it touches on broader questions about decentralization, power structures, and the nature of money itself. By packaging this mystery within a conspiracy thriller framework, Liman taps into a rich vein of intrigue while grounding the story in real-world stakes.

The casting of Pete Davidson alongside Casey Affleck reflects how established Hollywood talent now sees cryptocurrency narratives as legitimate storytelling terrain. This shift indicates a maturation of blockchain-themed content from niche interest to mainstream entertainment product.

The Broader Wave: Crypto Stories on Screen

“Killing Satoshi” is not an isolated phenomenon. Netflix is simultaneously developing “The Altruists,” an eight-part limited series chronicling the dramatic implosion of FTX. Produced under the banner of Higher Ground Productions (Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company), the series features Julia Garner and Anthony Boyle portraying Caroline Ellison and Sam Bankman-Fried respectively. The narrative follows how an $8 billion valuation evaporated, laying bare the ambitions and failures of its young founders.

These parallel projects underscore how the digital asset ecosystem—whether through Bitcoin’s origin mystery or FTX’s collapse—has become essential fodder for prestige storytelling. Hollywood is recognizing that cryptocurrency contains the dramatic elements audiences crave: ambition, deception, technological innovation, and systemic power plays.