On Wednesday, Los Angeles-based production company Lebul announced it has secured exclusive rights to tell the story of James Howells, an IT engineer who mined 8,000 BTC in 2009, back when the cryptocurrency had little to no value, and later lost access to it.
Howells claims a former partner accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013. Today, those tokens are worth nearly $1 billion. For years, he has fought, unsuccessfully, for permission to search a landfill in Wales, where he believes the device remains buried.
Last month, a British appeals court issued a final ruling preventing him from searching the waste site for his lost hard drive. Howells criticized the decision, claiming it was a tactic by UK elites to bury the issue. He now plans to purchase the landfill once it closes next year.
In the meantime, Howells is tackling another major challenge: getting his story adapted into a high-profile docuseries.
Howells told Decrypt that he has “received hundreds of offers” from various award-winning production companies over the years to turn his story into a documentary. Ultimately, he chose Lebul, citing the company’s commitment to supporting a “global media campaign” that aligns with his broader goal of acquiring the Docksway landfill.
Lebul plans to transform Howells’ failed attempt to search his local landfill into a “bold, multi-platform media venture,” which will include a premium docuseries, podcast, and a comprehensive social media content and marketing strategy.
“This isn’t just content,” said Reese Van Allen, the company’s president of unscripted entertainment, in a statement. “It’s a live-action tech thriller with nearly a billion dollars at stake, and Lebul is excited to bring it to the world.”
Howells believes the media project will not only accurately reflect his journey but also address broader, more universal themes.
“The documentary will highlight the environmental contradictions of the Newport City Council and shed light on the long-term financial burdens taxpayers face from maintaining a closed landfill,” he explained. “It will also present a global narrative focused on technology, reclamation, and digital ownership.”
