Netflix Greenlights FTX Drama Series – But Who’ll Play the Disgraced Crypto King Sam Bankman-Fried?

Hollywood meets crypto carnage as Netflix bets on the trainwreck appeal of FTX’s collapse. The streaming giant’s upcoming series promises backroom deals, billions vaporized, and the spectacular unravelling of an industry’s golden boy.

Casting directors now face the ultimate challenge: finding an actor who can nail Bankman-Fried’s signature ’reckless altruism’ vibe—part math genius, part kid who forgot his homework was due. Early odds favor Michael Cera for maximum awkward irony.

Meanwhile, Wall Street veterans smirk into their martinis—because nothing says ’financial innovation’ like a story that ends with handcuffs and a courtroom sketch artist.

Netflix’s Take on the FTX Collapse

The FTX collapse in 2022 was one of the most dramatic events in financial history, not just crypto. So, it makes sense that Netflix is planning a movie about it. After all, several studios were fighting to get the film rights the same month that the collapse happened.

Variety recently published rumors about the casting, claiming that Julia Garner is nearly set to play Caroline Ellison.

Julia Garner to star as Caroline Ellison in a limited series about the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and the relationship between FTX co-founder and chief executive Sam Bankman-Fried and his girlfriend and business associate Ellison. pic.twitter.com/Df1miZIjb4

Garner previously played digital con artist Anna Delvey and received an Emmy nomination for her performance. This relevant experience could add color to her portrayal of another convicted fraudster in Netflix’s FTX adaptation.

However, Garner’s largest role was Ozark, an acclaimed Netflix show that earned three Emmy awards. Variety further claimed that she may become an executive producer on this series, but again, nothing has been finalized.

Netflix will reportedly use a love story as a framing device for the FTX series’ plot, so the actor playing Sam Bankman-Fried will be essential.

Other industry publications have alleged that Evan Peters is in talks for this role. He has also won awards for a previous Netflix production in 2022.

A Netflix adaptation of the FTX story could be highly entertaining, but it’s important to stress that no contracts have been signed. The crypto industry has produced many famous events, after all.

The 2016 Bitfinex hack was allegedly getting a movie adaptation last year, but there hasn’t been an update on the project in around six months.

That is to say, “development hell” is a popular term in the film industry for a reason. Hopefully, the crypto community will soon enjoy Netflix’s dramatized take on the FTX collapse. Today, it’s still in the very early stages.