Summary

  • Gal Gadot revealed that negotiating the contract for "Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi" extended over six months, marking her longest such effort.
  • She noted that the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) reached out to her attorneys for advice on updating their agreements to better protect performers.
  • The film, budgeted at $70 million, was filmed in a vacant warehouse where all sets and lighting were created using AI technology.

Actress Gal Gadot, known for her role as “Wonder Woman,” has accepted a part in a Bitcoin thriller that utilizes artificial intelligence in its production, despite her reservations about the technology, as she shared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

"I am afraid of AI, but should I just turn away and ignore it? No," Gadot stated, according to Variety. "The train has left the station. You either adapt to it or risk being sidelined. I am trying to navigate this landscape and safeguard what I can."

Gadot's legal team meticulously reviewed her contract to ensure her protection against AI implications. She remarked, "This was the longest contract I've ever dealt with," referring to "Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi," and emphasized that her lawyers spent six months considering every potential scenario involving AI.

She clarified that AI was employed solely for the film's sets and lighting, asserting, "My performance is entirely mine," and she insisted on keeping AI out of her acting. The thoroughness of her lawyers' review led SAG to contact them for guidance on enhancing protections for other actors in their contracts, she mentioned.

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Doug Liman's Bitcoin Thriller

The film "Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi" is a $70 million project directed by Doug Liman, known for "The Bourne Identity," which centers around the search for Bitcoin's anonymous creator. Gadot stars alongside Casey Affleck, Pete Davidson, and Isla Fisher in a story that spans multiple continents and around 200 locations, although no actual location filming took place.

Instead, the actors performed in a repurposed car showroom, dubbed the gray box, with all sets and lighting created digitally afterward. Producer Ryan Kavanaugh noted that conventional filming would have exceeded $300 million, estimating savings of over $200 million, as reported by Variety.

Gadot likened the filming experience to theater, as the warehouse provided little besides the actors. "It felt like a pure artistic expression of filmmaking," she remarked, explaining that without the need for extensive lighting setups, shooting could continue for up to 10 hours uninterrupted: "We would film continuously."

She has yet to see any footage of the film. "I haven't viewed a single shot," she admitted. "We'll see how it turns out. It’s quite something."

The portrayal of cryptocurrency in mainstream cinema is still relatively rare, with most representations appearing in independent films or direct-to-video crime dramas. When featured in larger productions, it's often linked to negative characters. However, this trend may be changing, as “Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi” competes with Netflix’s upcoming crypto romantic comedy “One Attempt Remaining” for audience attention.