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Making a movie about Bitcoin’s mysterious creator apparently requires its own layer of mystery, paranoia, and very long contract negotiations. Gal Gadot revealed that her lawyers spent six months hammering out legal protections for her performance in the upcoming film Bitcoin, ensuring that AI technology couldn’t be used to alter or replicate her acting work.
The contract saga caught the attention of SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s largest actors’ union, which consulted Gadot’s legal team for guidance on updating industry-wide standards around artificial intelligence.
A $70M movie that was supposed to cost $300M
The film, directed by Doug Liman and originally titled Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi, focuses on the story of Craig Wright’s controversial claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. Wright has spent years asserting he invented Bitcoin, a claim that has been widely disputed and, in a 2024 UK court ruling, was explicitly rejected by a judge.
The cast is stacked. Casey Affleck, Pete Davidson, and Isla Fisher join Gadot in a production that incorporates fictionalized elements alongside references to real figures from the crypto industry.
The film’s budget was slashed from an estimated $300 million-plus down to roughly $70 million, with AI technology doing the heavy lifting on cost reduction. Principal photography wrapped in just 20 days during February 2026, filmed on a specialized soundstage in London.
To put that timeline in perspective: a typical big-budget feature shoots for 80 to 120 days. Liman’s team finished in less time than most productions spend on pre-shoot rehearsals.
Where AI stops and actors begin
The key distinction Gadot emphasized is the boundary between what AI handles and what it doesn’t touch. In this production, AI generates sets, background environments, and lighting. Actors perform on a markerless stage, meaning their movements and expressions are captured live without the motion-capture dots that have become standard in visual effects-heavy films.
She also noted that despite the heavy AI integration, a large traditional crew was still employed on the production. The technology replaced expensive location shoots and elaborate physical sets, not the people operating cameras, managing sound, or coordinating stunts.
SAG-AFTRA’s interest tells you everything
The fact that SAG-AFTRA proactively sought out Gadot’s contract language suggests the union sees this as a template, not a one-off. The 2023 strike produced some initial guardrails, but the technology has advanced faster than the contractual language meant to govern it. Gadot’s deal represents one of the most detailed attempts by an individual performer to draw bright lines around AI usage, and the union’s interest in adopting similar provisions could reshape how contracts are structured across the industry.
The film was first announced in August 2025, meaning it moved from announcement to completed principal photography in roughly six months. Gadot made her public defense of the production in a podcast appearance on August 31, 2026.
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