Doug Liman to direct Killing Satoshi with Casey Affleck and Pete Davidson
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Doug Liman, known for films such as The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, is set to direct Killing Satoshi. This thriller aims to unravel one of the longest-standing mysteries of the 21st century—the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin—and to answer the question of why this figure is perceived as a threat to the power structure.
Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island, SNL) have joined the project, though details about their roles remain undisclosed. Liman and Affleck previously collaborated on Apple TV+’s comedy The Instigators.
The screenplay is written by Nick Schenk, who worked with Clint Eastwood on Gran Torino and The Mule. It follows the story of a secret society’s efforts to keep Nakamoto’s identity hidden.
Ryan Kavanaugh, the former head of Relativity Media—who helped finance films such as The Social Network, The Fighter, and The Fast and the Furious before declaring bankruptcy in 2015—returns to Hollywood with this project. In recent years, Kavanaugh has become a vocal supporter of cryptocurrency. He is producing the film alongside Lawrence Grey (Yes Day), Shane Walczak (American Idol, Dancing With the Stars), and others.
Bitcoin shook the foundations of the global financial system in 2009 and turned Nakamoto into a legend. Blockchain experts estimate that between 2009 and 2010, Nakamoto mined nearly one million bitcoins, and if still alive, his fortune would be worth around $64 billion.
Killing Satoshi is being produced under the full supervision of the UK-based company Production Lens, founded by Kavanaugh, Grey, and Garrett Grant.
Filming is scheduled to begin this October in London, with a release planned for 2026.
