Netflix’s series about the FTX fiasco has found its leading effective altruists
- Netflix has cast Anthony Boyle as Sam Bankman-Fried and Julia Garner as Caroline Ellison in its upcoming drama series “The Altruists”, which tells the story of how they stole billions from FTX cryptocurrency exchange.
- The series, executive produced by Graham Moore and Jacqueline Hoyt, will recount how Bankman-Fried and Ellison enriched themselves through defrauding FTX’s investors and ultimately ended up in prison.
- “The Altruists” has been ordered for eight episodes and is directed by James Ponsoldt (Shrinking, Running Point), with a premiere date yet to be announced.
- The series aims to portray the story of Bankman-Fried and Ellison as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked ambition and greed in the financial world.
- Netflix has also faced criticism for its handling of similar stories, including Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, which some have accused of mythologizing its central characters rather than providing a nuanced portrayal of their actions.
Like Amazon and Apple, Netflix is also looking to cash in on the story of how Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison managed to steal billions from the FTX cryptocurrency exchange.
Variety reports that Anthony Boyle (Tetris, Manhunt) and Julia Garner (Ozark, The Fantastic Four: First Steps) have been cast in Netflix’s upcoming drama series The Altruists as Bankman-Fried and Ellison. Executive produced by Graham Moore and Jacqueline Hoyt (who will also showrun the series), The Altruists will recount how Bankman-Fried, FTX’s former CEO, and Ellison, the former head of FTX’s sister cryptocurrency trading firm, Alameda Research, enriched themselves by defrauding FTX’s investors. Netflix has ordered eight episodes for the series, and James Ponsoldt (Shrinking, Running Point) is attached to direct the premiere.
Netflix describes the series as being about “two hyper-smart, ambitious young idealists who tried to remake the global financial system in the blink of an eye — and then seduced, coaxed, and teased each other into stealing $8 billion,” which sounds accurate, if a bit aggrandizing. Presumably, the show will cover how both Bankman-Fried and Ellison ultimately wound up being sentenced to 25 and two years in prison, respectively. And if The Altruists really wants to be seen as a serious, thoughtful piece of storytelling that isn’t just mythologizing its central felons, it should probably touch on how hard Bankman-Fried is now pushing for Donald Trump to give him a pardon.
(Disclosure: The Altruists is a coproduction by Higher Ground Productions and New York Magazine/Vox Media Studios.)
Correction, May 29th: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Bankman-Fried pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He pleaded not guilty before he was subsequently sentenced to 25 years.