Mainstream media and crypto have been uneasy bedfellows for some time now, with blanket bans on advertising across a range of major platforms just the latest in a series of moves which seem designed to close down the promotion of digital currencies. So at first sight, a Hollywood foray into the world of crypto might be viewed as a positive development. Sadly, it appears that a new independent movie which touches on the theme of cryptocurrency will tread some tried, tested and tricky territory for those seeking to sell digital assets to a mainstream market.
Crypto, starring Kurt Russell, Beau Knapp, Alexis Bledel and Westworld’s Luke Hemsworth, will tell the story of an agent working to tackle money laundering, fraud and corruption in New York. Our hero finds himself “enmeshed in a dangerous underworld” of cryptocurrency, which sounds suspiciously like the kind of portrayal the crypto community has been trying to leave behind for these past few years.
Though Crypto is not the first film to explore the controversial subject matter, it is certainly the most high profile to date. Jordan Yale Levine, one of the movie’s producers, is quoted as saying that this is the first release to explore the themes and motifs of the cryptocurrency world in such a “nuanced and exciting way.” It appears the movie might set the trend for future releases, however, with the Coen Brothers rumored to be working on a project centered around The Silk Road, the black market website which made waves in the early days of crypto.
