The show, produced under Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground banner, will star Julia Garner (3x Emmy winner) as former Alameda Research chief executive Caroline Ellison and Anthony Boyle as Bankman-Fried.
Higher Ground might also have to navigate the optics of its founders’ political ties, especially in light of Bankman-Fried’s bipartisan campaign donations.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) and veteran showrunner Jacqueline Hoyt (The Good Wife) will steer the writers’ room. The pilot is set to be directed by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now), whose reputation for character-driven storytelling fits the project’s ambition to balance boardroom tension with personal drama.
With casting confirmed and pre-production underway, location scouts are finalising Vancouver stand-ins for FTX’s former Nassau headquarters and crypto conference venues. The writers’ room convenes in June, and an initial outline is said to emphasize the tension between philanthropic intent and unchecked hubris.
