Is Julia Garner set to star in Netflix’s FTX scam series from Graham Moore and Higher Ground?

Widely regarded as one of the most magnetic talents of her generation, Julia Garner is preparing to step into a new project that blends real-world drama with the kind of character complexity she thrives on. Netflix is assembling a gripping miniseries that dives deep into one of the most jaw-dropping financial collapses in recent memory: the spectacular downfall of the cryptocurrency giant FTX. Behind the scenes, Oscar-winner Graham Moore, best known for The Imitation Game, is penning the script, working closely with Higher Ground, the production company launched by Barack and Michelle Obama.

It’s rare to see a project come together with so much storytelling firepower. With Netflix’s track record of bold, emotionally charged narratives and Garner leading the way, this series looks ready to deliver more than just a retelling of a financial scandal. It’s shaping up to be a story about ambition, betrayal, and the kind of impossible choices people face when everything- power, loyalty, even identity-is on the line.

Julia Garner: ready to dive into another unforgettable transformation

If there’s one thing Julia Garner has mastered, it’s the art of sinking completely into characters who live in complicated, often dangerous spaces. Whether it was the fierce resilience of Ruth Langmore in Ozark, a role that won her three Emmys, or the slippery charm of Anna Sorokin in Inventing Anna, Garner knows how to pull audiences into the heart of a story. Now, she’s set to take on Caroline Ellison, the embattled former CEO of Alameda Research, whose own downfall is tangled up in ambition, naivety, and heartbreak.

The meteoric rise and brutal crash of FTX

For a while, FTX looked unstoppable. It wasn’t just another crypto exchange; it was the shining beacon of a new financial future. Sam Bankman-Fried, with his messy curls and boy-genius image, wasn’t just the face of FTX; he was its heartbeat. For a time, he could do no wrong. Wall Street, Silicon Valley, the media, everyone wanted a piece of the young prodigy who promised to change the future of finance. But behind the curtain, the cracks were already spreading.

By 2022, the entire facade collapsed in spectacular fashion, exposing a tangled web of fraud, mismanagement, and broken trust. Billions evaporated almost overnight, leaving stunned investors and a financial world scrambling to pick up the pieces. The fall of FTX wasn’t just a business failure; it was a betrayal that rocked the foundations of an entire industry.

Netflix’s upcoming series isn’t interested in giving us just another timeline of events. Instead, it plans to dig into the messy, deeply human relationships, like the complicated bond between Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison, that fueled both the meteoric rise and the crushing fall of a crypto empire that once seemed unstoppable.

A creative team that knows how to tell human stories

When you hear Graham Moore is writing, you know you're in for something layered and thoughtful. His work on The Imitation Game transformed a technical subject into a profoundly human story. Teaming up with Higher Ground, the company responsible for powerful, emotionally resonant productions like Rustin and American Factory, ensures that this new series will look beyond the headlines to explore the fragile dreams, devastating choices, and shattered ideals behind FTX's collapse.

Adding even more depth, Jacqueline Hoyt (The Good Wife, The Leftovers) steps in as co-showrunner, while James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) is set to direct at least one episode, bringing his signature intimate storytelling style to the table.

What’s known so far about the Netflix series

Though an official title hasn’t been announced, the limited series is slated to span eight episodes, with filming expected to start in the summer of 2025. Unlike some other adaptations in the works at Amazon Prime Video and Apple Studios, Netflix’s version is said to focus tightly on the emotional currents driving the FTX story, rather than bogging down viewers in the technical weeds of cryptocurrency markets.

The series will zoom in on the human cost: ambition unchecked, loyalty misplaced, and the personal betrayals that ultimately brought an empire crashing down.

Netflix’s approach: spotlighting the people behind the headlines

Rather than delivering another dry financial thriller, Netflix’s take seems poised to humanize the scandal. It's not about numbers and balance sheets; it's about people. The ones who dreamed too big, trusted too easily, or believed they were untouchable. Julia Garner’s portrayal of Caroline Ellison promises to be a deeply nuanced study of a woman caught in the crossfire of ambition and downfall.

Audiences can expect a story that's as much about broken dreams and flawed decisions as it is about billions of dollars vanishing into thin air.

Why expectations are sky-high

Between the real-world drama, the powerhouse creative team, and the emotional depth promised by Julia Garner’s performance, this FTX series is already shaping up to be one of Netflix’s must-watch events. If it delivers on its potential, it won’t just tell a cautionary tale about financial greed; it will capture the human heart of a collapse that still feels painfully recent. And once again, Julia Garner is poised to remind us why she’s one of the most fearless and fascinating actresses working today.