FTX Amazon Limited Series to Feature Marvel Stars

• Amazon has commissioned a miniseries about the fall of FTX from Avengers filmmakers.
• It will be based on “insider reporting” from journalists covering FTX and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried.
• The Russo brothers also described Bankman-Fried as “an extremely mysterious figure with complex and potentially dangerous motivations.”

The creators of Marvel’s Avengers franchise have been commissioned by Amazon to produce a miniseries about the downfall of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. 

The filming of a limited series of eight episodes about the downfall and scandals of the defunct exchange and its leadership is set to begin soon. Amazon has purchased the rights, and is set to air the series on its streaming platform, Amazon Prime.

Variety reported on Nov. 23 that Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who also directed The Gray Man for Netflix, will produce the miniseries through their company ABGO.

FTX Scandal is “One of the Most Brazen Frauds Ever Committed”

As of writing, very little is known about the show’s eventual plot, its inspirations, the time period, or the key personalities it will focus on. The Russo brothers gave Variety their thoughts on Bankman-Fried and their reasoning for making a series about the FTX story. They said what happened with the exchange is “one of the most brazen frauds ever committed.” 

"At the center of it all sits an extremely mysterious figure with complex and potentially dangerous motivations. We want to understand why."

David Weil, whose portfolio spans Amazon’s Hunters and Solos and Apple TV+’s Invasion, will pen the scripts. Reporters who have covered FTX and its founder/former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, will provide additional “insider reporting” for the miniseries.

Variety also reported that talks have taken place with “several Marvel stars” about potential roles in the program. AGBO’s Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, and Scott Nemes, as well as Natalie Laine Williams, serve as executive producers in addition to the Russos. 

Over a week ago, crypto Twitter joked about making films on FTX in the vein of The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street. On November 12, a Twitter user proposed a cast for FTX: THE MOVIE. Jonah Hill was suggested as Bankman-Fried and Jimmy O. Yang as Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao.

On the Flipside

• FTX garnered waves for its high-profile sports sponsorships with the Miami Heat. They also boasted celebrity connections, including Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen. Ultimately, FTX fell within a week.
• People who lost money in the FTX crash are also using GoFundMe to compensate for their losses. One man lost the money he was saving for his girlfriend’s “dream” engagement ring. “Like many others, my app is frozen and all the funds are gone,” he claims on his fundraiser page.

Why You Should Care

The cryptocurrency industry hasn’t received much attention from Hollywood so far, but that might change soon. A number of projects inspired by the success and eventual failure of Bankman-Fried and FTX are on the horizon.

Apple is reportedly nearing a deal for the rights to Michael Lewis’s book on FTX, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week. It is said in a letter from Lewis’ CAA that he spent six months “traveling with and interviewing Sam Bankman-Fried” for the book. Lewis is best known for his book The Big Short, which is set against the backdrop of the financial crisis of 2008.

Read more on the collapse of FTX:

Chainalysis: FTX Crisis Comparatively Smaller Than Mt. Gox’s

FTX Executives, Sam Bankman-Fried, and His Parents Bought Bahamas Real Estate Worth Millions