PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Doug Liman Makes Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi Movie With AI
Courtesy of Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi via TheWrap
Doug Liman — the director of movies like The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow — has finished production on a film that uses AI to generate all of its locations and lighting.
The Big Picture: The vast majority of movies made with generative AI have been outside mainstream Hollywood, with studios and streamers largely avoiding the tools to sidestep controversy within the creative community. But if Liman’s studio-level experiment resonates with audiences, it could open the floodgates for other AI-powered productions.
Behind The Scenes: Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi — a globe-trotting thriller about the hunt for Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto — stars high-wattage names like Casey Affleck, Pete Davidson, Gal Gadot, and Isla Fisher.
The entire film was shot over 20 days on a London soundstage nicknamed the “gray box,” with only the actors, costumes, props, and minimal set builds (stairs, platforms) physically captured.
The gray walls were marked with tracking points so Acme AI & FX’s custom system could generate photorealistic environments that match the camera movements and performances.
The soundstage was entirely lit with overhead lamps by cinematographer Henry Braham (Superman, The Flash), who plans to customize the lighting in post with AI.
The producers stress that everything generated for the film is ethically sourced, built from Acme’s proprietary data and inputs (animatics, concept art, footage) from department heads, with human artists then refining all AI outputs.
Final Render: Acme AI & FX — founded by industry veterans Ryan and Matt Kavanaugh, Garrett Grant, and Lawrence Grey — told TheWrap the film would have cost $300 million using traditional production methods due to its 200-plus locations. With AI, Bitcoin’s budget lands at $70 million, essentially a mid-budget Hollywood movie. The makeup of the cast and crew was similar to that kind of production, employing 107 cast members and 154 crew members. The big difference is that Liman is now undergoing 30 weeks of post-production with 55 AI artists.
The film will be shopped to distributors at this year’s Cannes market in May, where Acme hopes it will spark strong interest in the other 10 projects on its slate.
Coming Soon: Between Liman’s project and Steven Soderbergh planning to use AI for an upcoming movie about the Spanish-American War, the industry may be entering an era where filmmakers use AI for films that are almost impossible to make any other way.
Together with The Deep View
Stop Drowning In AI Information Overload
Your inbox is filled with newsletters. Your feed moves fast. Somewhere in that stream are insights that could transform your work — but finding them takes time.
The Deep View solves this. Everything is read, what matters is analyzed, and only the intelligence you need is delivered. No duplicate stories, no filler content, no wasted time. Just the essential AI developments that impact your industry, explained clearly and concisely.
Replace hours of scattered reading with five focused minutes. While others scramble to keep up, you'll stay ahead of the developments that matter. 600,000+ professionals at top companies have already made this switch.
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.