Jon M. Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, is developing a new film project titled The Goxfather. The film is said to be a biopic that centers on Mark Karpeles, “who once owned and ran the biggest bitcoin exchange in the world.”
Mark Karpeles is an entrepreneur best known for his involvement in the cryptocurrency world, particularly as the CEO of Mt. Gox, a once-dominant Bitcoin exchange. Karpeles gained notoriety in the early 2010s when Mt. Gox suffered a catastrophic hack, resulting in the sudden loss of half a billion dollars worth of customer-owned bitcoins ultimately leading to the exchange’s bankruptcy in 2014.
Karpeles faced legal troubles in Japan, where he lived at the time, and was arrested on charges related to embezzlement and data manipulation. After a lengthy legal battle, he was eventually found guilty of falsifying financial records but was acquitted of embezzlement charges in 2019.
This is an interesting story and one that should make for a good movie, especially with Jon M. Chu at the helm. Chu is currently directing the feature film adaptation of Wicked for Universal Pictures.
Source: Deadline
