The film is based on the memoir of Bitcoin hedge fund talent Brandon Elsasser
The upcoming feature film The Trade will be among the first to be tokenized, according to a recent press release. The project was optioned for production by Los Angeles-based strategic design consultancy 10,001 together with former Hollywood production company Storylab.
The screenplay adapts Brandon Elsasser’s 2020 memoir Once More Without Feeling. Elsasser is a former Bitcoin hedge fund professional and a contributor on cryptocurrency markets. Screenwriter Jack Roberts—known for the television series Dad, Inc. and the indie film The Rock’n’Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher—wrote the screenplay. Elsasser and Roberts will serve as executive producers.
The film departs from the memoir by centering on a strong female lead who must navigate a sexist, cutthroat Wall Street environment. Blending financial thriller elements with a romantic storyline, the film relies on sharp dialogue and distinct characters to drive the narrative.
Roberts commented, “To reveal the underbelly of finance in an original way, we needed a female lead. That change from the book gives us an angle into both the financial world and the personal stakes that other perspectives rarely capture. It creates a compelling design for our times.”
In a notable production and financing move, The Trade will be issued as a digital security that can be traded on public markets by San Francisco-based Securitize. Securitize aims to modernize capital markets and is the first end-to-end digital platform registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to offer blockchain-based transfer agent services.
This is not the first time a film has explored tokenized finance. In October 2020, the legal drama Roe V. Wade announced that financial services firm LCX would provide blockchain services to support a tokenized bond known as the RVW token. That token allowed investors to share in the film’s future revenues and offered holders a right to a fixed yield. Producer Nick Loeb said at the time, “Tokenization via blockchain technology is democratizing investing and will revolutionize how Hollywood engages with its audience.”
The Trade is collaborating with investment group Chicago Media Angels, and principal photography is planned to begin this autumn in Chicago.