Hollywood plans Sam Bankman-Fried movie based on Going Infinite

Times of discover News: Apple Studios and A24 are reportedly planning to turn Michael Lewis' book about the rise and fall of the former FTX CEO into a feature film. Sam "SBF" Bankman-Fried could still face up to 25 years in prison, but production companies are reportedly developing a film based on the former FTX CEO's rise and fall.

As of Jan. 1. 12 Variety reports that Apple Studios and A24 are co-developing and producing a Bankman-Fried feature film based on Michael Lewis' book Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon. Lewis is set to release the book in October 2023, the day the former CEO's criminal trial begins in New York.

Some critics of Lewis' book say the author of The Big Short downplays the impact of the Bankman-Fried actions on millions of investors whose accounts have been frozen and who cannot access the combined billions of dollars. A section of the book focuses on effective SBF philanthropy and how it may have influenced the events that led to the misuse of client funds.

Director and actress Lena Dunham will reportedly write the screenplay for the film, which may already be in early development. Since FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022 and several executives were charged with fraud in the United States, the crypto story of the exchange and its employees has been the subject of intense scrutiny by lawmakers and the media.

Other production companies have their own plans on a documentary or film on FTX. Fortune and Ideas Irrealistic are said to be planning a film based on SBF’s relationship with former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. Both executives ended up in prison for different reasons, though Zhao was released.

The announcement comes nearly two years after FTX filed for bankruptcy in November. Three of the five people convicted in the FTX indictment went to prison, including former Alameda Research CEO Carolyn Ellison — briefly Bankman-Fried’s girlfriend — and former FTX Digital Markets co-CEO Ryan Salame.

The exchange’s crypto engineering director, Nishad Singh, was convicted after pleading guilty and testifying at the SBF trial. FTX co-founder Gary Wang will be sentenced in November. Of the 20