Lena Dunham to Write Sam Bankman-Fried Movie for Apple, A24 Based on Michael Lewis Book ‘Going Infinite’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson

12 November 2024 at 12:00 pm·3-min read

Apple and A24 are in early development on a film adaptation of the Michael Lewis book “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon” with Lena Dunham attached to write the script, Variety has learned exclusively.

Apple Studios and A24 are co-developing and co-producing the film. “Going Infinite” delves into the spectacular ascension and equally spectacular implosion of the cryptocurrency exchange and hedge fund FTX as well as its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. The book was originally released in October 2023 and went on to become a New York Times bestseller.

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The official description of the book reads:

“When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side? Lewis sets out to answer this question, taking readers into the mind of Bankman-Fried, whose rise and fall offers an education in high-frequency trading, cryptocurrencies, philanthropy, bankruptcy, and the justice system. Both psychological portrait and financial roller-coaster ride, Going Infinite is Michael Lewis at the top of his game, tracing the mind-bending trajectory of a character who never liked the rules and was allowed to live by his own―until it all came undone.”

FTX was founded in 2019 and became one of the biggest and most well-known cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. But in 2022, billions of dollars were discovered to be missing when a massive number of customers attempted to withdraw their money all at once. Bankman-Fried was subsequently indicted and convicted of charges on various types of fraud and money laundering among others.

Dunham is best known for creating, starring in, directing, and executive producing the critically-acclaimed HBO series “Girls,” which ran for six seasons at the premium cabler from 2012-2017. Dunham received eight Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe for her work on the show. Her other TV credits include “Camping” and “Generation,” as well as the upcoming Netflix rom-com series “Too Much” starring Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe, which Dunham co-created with her husband Luis Felber. She also directed the pilot for the HBO series “Industry,” which was recently renewed for a fourth season.

In film, Dunham co-wrote and directed the 2022 feature “Catherine Called Birdy” and wrote and directed the “Sharp Stick” that same year, the latter of which she also appeared in onscreen in the role of Heather.

She is repped by CAA, ID PR, and Hansen Jacobson.

The adaptation of “Going Infinite” is the latest film collaboration between Apple Original Films and A24. Others include the upcoming Spike Lee-Denzel Washington film “High and Low” and the Jennifer Lawrence murder mystery “The Wives.” The companies have already released films together like “On the Rocks” starring Bill Murray and Rashida Jones from director Sofia Coppola as well as “The Tragedy of Macbeth” from director Joel Coen among several others.

It is also the latest scripted Bankman-Fried/FTX project to be announced. Amazon ordered a limited series based on the collapse of FTX in 2022, while sources say another streamer is currently prepping a limited series of their own with a recent Emmy winner circling the role of Bankman-Fried.

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