Cryptocurrency equals crime? Hollywood director: PEPE meme coin hype damages the image

Netflix releases the crypto comedy “One Attempt Remaining” to turn around crime narratives, but director Viviane Ford criticizes the crypto community as “deserving of its reputation,” questioning how the culture of hype around PEPE meme coins and Lamborghini dogs has made crypto a target of public disdain, with the FTX collapse further reinforcing the gambling image.

Hollywood’s long-standing association of crypto with crime narratives

According to previous reports by “Crypto City,” streaming giant Netflix announced it is officially producing a romantic comedy film titled “One Attempt Remaining” centered around cryptocurrency. This news has garnered significant industry attention because mainstream Hollywood studios have historically been cautious about making cryptocurrency the core theme of their films.

In the past, the portrayal of cryptocurrency on screen has mostly been linked to negative activities, often depicted as tools for crime or money laundering. Films like “Crypto” (2019) and “Money Plane” (2020) directly associate digital assets with laundering and criminals. Even in blockbuster “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning,” a ludicrous scene involves decrypting blockchain, with a phone screen displaying “decrypting blockchain.”

Even when not involving crime, crypto users in films are often cast as negative characters. In the 2023 film “The Quiet Maid,” the wealthy family enthusiastic about crypto and CryptoPunks NFTs is portrayed as obnoxious. In 2024’s “The Beekeeper” and 2025’s “Play Dirty,” the “Crypto Bro” characters are depicted as Yuppie villains reminiscent of 1980s movie antagonists.

Although cryptocurrencies have existed for years, their appearances in media have mostly been limited to indie films, direct-to-video crime thrillers, or visual elements to add a futuristic vibe. Indie thriller “Cold Wallet” director Cutter Hoderine points out that even though the U.S. government is actively monitoring digital currencies and Wall Street considers Bitcoin an economic indicator similar to the S&P 500, in movies, crypto still remains marginalized.

Examples of Hollywood’s negative crypto narratives

“Crypto” (2019): directly linking digital assets to laundering and criminals

“Money Plane” (2020): crypto as a tool for underground casino transactions

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”: absurd scene “decrypts blockchain”

“The Beekeeper” (2024): “Crypto Bro” portrayed as Yuppie villains

This solidification of negative images makes it difficult to change the stereotypical perception of crypto in popular culture, even as the technology itself advances.

Director criticizes meme coin hype culture, crypto community’s self-mythologizing

Viviane Ford, director of the web series “Crypto Castle,” openly states that much of this notorious image is “self-inflicted” by the crypto community. She questions what kind of culture produces $PEPE meme coins and promotes hype, or glamorizes Lamborghini as a Dogecoin ($DOGE) badge of honor.

Ford believes that crypto supporters tend to “meme themselves” online, becoming disliked by the public and accelerating negative narratives. This criticism hits at the core issue of crypto culture: when an industry equates wealth, show-off, and speculation as its main symbols, it’s hard to expect positive public perception.

Adding to this, the collapse of FTX and Terra caused heavy losses for many investors, making the public more likely to see crypto as a glamorous form of gambling. The fraud case of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried shocked the world, with billions of dollars in investor funds disappearing—real criminal cases that provide material for Hollywood’s negative storytelling. Under this cultural atmosphere, even the portrayal of crypto as a value medium in films is often reduced to a mere prop.

Ford lived for four years in the crypto Yuppie enclave in San Francisco, turning her real experiences into stand-up comedy and series. She points out that blockchain, decentralization, and cross-border payments were originally serious and revolutionary ideas, but in the public eye, they are reduced to silly memes and absurd stories of teenagers getting rich overnight. This cultural dislocation is at the root of the crypto industry’s image crisis.

Asymmetric industry cycles make brand integration difficult

Another puzzling phenomenon is that, despite the crypto industry’s ample funding, brand placement in films and TV is rare. Leo Matchett, CEO of Web3 film fund Decentralized Pictures (DCP), reveals that even in their supported film “Cold Wallet,” where crypto wallets appear, the production team received no funding for product placement.

A few exceptions include the short film “Límite,” which gained support from the Monero ($XMR) community through on-chain proposals, portraying Monero as a symbol of potential and talent. The lack of placement resources is mainly due to the disconnect between crypto market cycles and film development timelines. Crypto markets tend to swing between “extreme profits or famine,” requiring companies to stockpile during bull markets to survive long, harsh winters.

However, film production often takes years. A crypto company that invests heavily early in film development might have gone bankrupt or disappeared by the time the film is shot or released due to market volatility. This uncertainty makes long-term collaborations between traditional producers and crypto firms highly risky.

Furthermore, to help mainstream audiences understand complex concepts like crypto wallets and seed phrases, filmmakers often simplify the narrative to the extreme. This results in many films reverting to traditional genres, such as heist or thriller movies, depicting battles between crypto CEOs and investors who got rug-pulled. While this conservative approach lowers the barrier to understanding, it further reinforces stereotypes linking crypto to scams and crime.

The path to crypto narrative transformation has just begun

Matchett believes this is related to the adoption curve of technology. He compares it to the late 1990s and early 2000s internet, when films rarely featured internet content until it deeply integrated into society, after which many hacker and online activity stories emerged. Currently, crypto is on a similar trajectory, but the lack of widespread mainstream applications limits screenwriters’ creative space.

Despite these challenges, the film and TV industry’s perception of crypto seems to be shifting. Netflix’s new film “One Attempt Remaining” attempts to incorporate crypto wallet mechanics and seed phrases as key plot points, rather than just background elements. Viviane Ford’s “Crypto Castle” aims to offer more nuanced perspectives, portraying more human and even adorable characters—though this remains difficult in today’s social climate.

Matchett predicts that the industry still lacks successful positive stories showcasing the technology’s potential. He foresees talented creators finding simple, clear ways to explain these concepts quickly to audiences, focusing on the central conflict of “centralization versus decentralization.” As cryptocurrencies become a vital part of the global economy over the coming decades, they will naturally be integrated into adventure and action films, much like cash and credit cards today.

From a mere crime label to a story driven by technology, the Hollywood transformation of crypto has just begun. How far it can go largely depends on whether the crypto community can shed meme hype and demonstrate blockchain’s true revolutionary potential. When the industry begins to take its mission seriously instead of just chasing quick riches, Hollywood’s lens will follow naturally.