Locked Out of Your Bitcoin Fortune? Netflix Is Turning That Crypto Nightmare Into a Movie

Forget heist films—the ultimate digital thriller is hitting the screen. Netflix is greenlighting a movie about the most gut-wrenching scenario in crypto: losing the keys to a Bitcoin fortune.

The Password Panic

It's the silent scream heard across the blockchain. A forgotten password or a lost hardware wallet doesn't just lock you out of an account—it seals a digital vault forever. No customer service, no recovery email, just cryptographic silence. This isn't a bug; it's a feature of decentralized design, turning personal oversight into permanent loss.

From Niche Fear to Mainstream Plot

Once an inside joke among early adopters, the 'lost Bitcoin' saga has matured into a billion-dollar narrative. Real-world stories of hard drives in landfills and scrambled passwords have built a modern mythology of accidental wealth destruction. Netflix isn't just documenting tech—it's mining the profound human tension between ultimate financial sovereignty and the fallibility of memory.

Finance's Ironic Jab

The plot thickens with a layer of Wall Street cynicism. Traditional finance built an empire on intermediaries—banks, brokers, custodians—all taking a fee to manage risk and memory for you. Crypto promised to cut out the middleman, handing you both unparalleled control and the sole, terrifying responsibility. The movie's premise asks the uncomfortable question: is the freedom to be your own bank worth the freedom to be your own bank's single point of catastrophic failure?

Get ready for a film that's less about code and more about consequence. It’s the story of what happens when the promise of a decentralized future collides head-on with a very human past.

TLDR

• Netflix announced a new comedy film called “One Attempt Remaining” starring Jennifer Garner about a divorced couple trying to recover $35 million in cryptocurrency they forgot the password to
• The couple has 48 hours to access their crypto wallet after receiving a notice from the SEC before the claim expires
• The movie plot mirrors real cases like Stefan Thomas, former Ripple CTO who locked himself out of 7,002 Bitcoin (worth over $640 million today) stored on an IronKey device that allows only 10 password attempts
• The film represents a shift in crypto storytelling from crime dramas about exchange collapses to more relatable everyday scenarios about lost passwords
• No release date has been announced yet, with Jennifer Garner confirmed as one of the leads

Netflix revealed plans for a new comedy movie centered on cryptocurrency and lost passwords. The streaming service announced “One Attempt Remaining” will star Jennifer Garner as one of the leads.

Jennifer Garner will star in ONE ATTEMPT REMAINING, a new comedy feature directed by Kay Cannon (Blockers).

Years after an acrimonious divorce, two exes discover that the cryptocurrency they won together on a cruise is now worth millions…but they've forgotten the password. pic.twitter.com/k9gOcvIgyH

— Netflix (@netflix) December 11, 2025

The film follows a divorced couple who discover their cryptocurrency is now worth millions. They won the crypto together on a cruise years earlier. The problem is neither can remember the wallet password.

Story Based on Real Crypto Incidents

The plot includes a 48-hour deadline for the couple to recover $35 million. They receive a notice from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The claim expires if they cannot access the wallet in time.

The movie’s premise draws from actual crypto cases. Stefan Thomas, former Ripple chief technology officer, faces a similar situation. He lost access to an IronKey hard drive containing 7,002 Bitcoin.

The device erases all data after 10 incorrect password attempts. Thomas made eight attempts and has not confirmed if he regained access. At current prices, the Bitcoin is worth roughly $640 million.

Another well-known case involves James Howells from Wales. He discarded a hard drive with private keys to 8,000 bitcoin in 2013. The device ended up in a landfill.

Howells spent years trying to get permission to search the site. Local authorities denied his requests repeatedly. As of March 2025, he exhausted most legal options.

Crypto Enters Mainstream Entertainment

Crypto has appeared in films and TV shows over the past 15 years. Most productions used it as background rather than the main focus. Few feature films centered entirely on cryptocurrency.

The 2020 film “Money Plane” included crypto elements. The 2022 documentary “Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King” covered the QuadrigaCX exchange collapse. “Going Infinite” about FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried is in development.

“One Attempt Remaining” takes a different approach from previous crypto films. The story focuses on regular people in an unusual situation. It avoids the crime drama angle used in other crypto-themed productions.

The film treats lost passwords as the central conflict. This makes the story accessible to viewers unfamiliar with cryptocurrency. Most people understand the frustration of forgetting important passwords.

Netflix has not announced a full cast list beyond Jennifer Garner. The streaming service has not provided a release date for the movie.