Forbes Entertainment and Entertainment One have partnered to produce multiple projects based on the alleged bitcoin laundering operation of Heather Morgan and Ilya Lichtenstein, the companies announced Wednesday.
As reported by The New York Times, Morgan and Lichtenstein were arrested on Feb. 8 under charges relating to a 2016 hack of the Bitcoin virtual currency exchange. The two reportedly stole over 120,000 Bitcoin assets, and then laundered the cryptocurrency through fake identities and online accounts. The two stand accused of laundering around $3.6 billion in Bitcoin. Prior to being arrested, Morgan worked in financial journalism, and from 2017 to 2021 was a contributor for the ForbesWomen vertical on Forbes.com.
Forbes and eOne’s projects will be based on Forbes’ reporting on the couple. Under the partnership, the companies have begun production on a documentary film about Morgan and Lichtenstein, which is executive produced by Geno McDermott and Jordan Rosenblum for Blackfin, a subsidiary of eOne. The companies will also produce a scripted project about the couple with Tucker Tooley Entertainment, which is set to be produced by Tucker Tooley.
“The Crypto Couple’s story reads like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde drama,” Forbes Entertainment director of partnerships Travis Collins said in a statement. “As the de-facto source of tracking wealth and publishing financial investigative journalism, Forbes can help bring this story to life in a way that few can do as authoritatively. Through this riveting narrative, we aim to help educate audiences about the cryptocurrency world, one that to many remains mysterious and ethereal.”
Forbes and eOne’s announcement follows on the heels of Netflix ordering a docuseries based on the story of the couple. Chris Smith (“100 Foot Wave,” “Fyre – the Greatest Festival that Never Happened”) will direct Netflix’s project, which is executive produced by Nick Bilton (“Fake Famous,” “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley”).