Movies and TV shows tend to depict cryptocurrency as being used for illegal things. Is Hollywood throwing more FUD at Bitcoin with the upcoming Crypto indie movie?
Hollywood doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to cryptocurrency. When the subject pops up in a TV show or movie, it’s usually depicted as a way for bad guys to get bad things, such as guns, slaves, or drugs. One wonders if this trend will continue with the upcoming indie film, Crypto, starring Kurt Russell, Beau Knapp, and Alexis Bledel.
Lights! Camera! Crypto!
The Hollywood Reporter posted news today of an upcoming indie film featuring cryptocurrency. Crypto is based upon an original story by Jeffery Ingber and directed by John Stalberg Jr.
The cast is a pretty talented one. It features Beau Knapp (Seven Seconds, Death Wish), Kurt Russell (Escape from New York, The Hateful Eight), Alexis Bledel (Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale), Luke Hemsworth (the third Hemsworth brother and who can be found in Westworld), and Jeremie Harris (Legion).
Crypto is a Hollywood thriller, which could be interesting. However, it also focuses on one of the key FUD items thrown at cryptocurrency: money laundering.
We're so proud to announce our latest project, CRYPTO, starring Beau Knapp, Alexis Bledel, Luke Hemsworth, and Kurt Russell, will be coming your way to… https://t.co/jGrH0LVjgC
— Yale Productions (@yaleproductions) June 15, 2018
As for the movie’s plot, the Hollywood Reporter says:
Crypto centers on a young anti-money laundering agent (Knapp) tasked with investigating a tangled web of corruption and fraud in his remote New York hometown, where his father (Russell) and brother (Hemsworth) are struggling to maintain their family farm in a changing economic landscape. The agent quickly finds himself enmeshed in a dangerous underworld populated by a mysterious art dealer (Bledel), a crypto-currency enthusiast turned cyber-sleuth (Harris) and a corrupt accountant doing the bidding of ruthless clients (Kartheiser).
What Will the FUD Factor Be?
Call me crazy, but I have the feeling that the movie is going to pump up the negative aspects of cryptocurrency. When you see “money laundering” and “cryptocurrency” in a movie’s description, it’s pretty fair to be skeptical of how virtual currency will be portrayed.
Producer Jordan Yale Levine appears to say that the movie may not be as straightforward as one would think. He says:
Cryptocurrency has captured the attention and imagination of consumers and entrepreneurs all over the world but has never been explored in film in such a nuanced and exciting way.
Of course, this could just be all press speak in that cryptocurrency is the perfect way for bad guys to launder money. To be honest, the track record of Hollywood isn’t great when it comes to depicting cryptocurrency. A few shows have been reasonably fair, but then you have Netflix and many others botching it completely.
It may be that cryptocurrency is just used as a plot device to move the action along. We’ll just have to wait and see. As of now, the release date has not been announced, nor when the movie will actually begin shooting.
Do you think Hollywood will treat cryptocurrency fair in this movie? Let us know in the comments below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Twitter/@yaleproductions.