A Londoner’s years-long quest for an $800 million Bitcoin-containing onerous drive hidden someplace in a Welsh landfill has now been licensed right into a cross-platform documentary sequence.
Entertainment firm LEBUL introduced this week that it has secured exclusive rights to inform the story of James Howells, the British engineer recognized for shedding entry to eight,000 Bitcoin again in 2013.
Man’s Lost Hard Drive Holds Crypto Fortunes Worth A King’s Ransom
Howells, a kind of who mined Bitcoin in its early years, misplaced entry to eight,000 Bitcoin in 2013 when his onerous drive was mistakenly discarded. At present costs, that cryptocurrency hoard is price over $800 million.
The onerous drive ended up in a municipal landfill in Newport, Wales, the place it nonetheless sits regardless of Howells’ quite a few efforts to reclaim it.
“This isn’t content,” declared Reese Van Allen, Unscripted Entertainment President at LEBUL. “It’s a live-action tech thriller with almost a billion dollars at stake.”
The documentary initiative, “The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells,” will function a high-end sequence, podcast, and social media push. LEBUL intends to mix facets of environmental strife, cryptocurrency historical past, and particular person resolve of their narrative.
Legal Fights Ongoing With Local Council
Howells has taken Newport City Council to court docket a number of instances over the past decade. He’s requested for permission to excavate the landfill and even proposed dividing any cash recovered with each the town and residents. At one time, he requested native officers for £495 million in compensation.
He has repeatedly lost in court over his protests on grounds of concern for injury to the surroundings in addition to land legal guidelines. He misplaced not too long ago in 2025 in Cardiff High Court, in accordance with studies.
It is extra of a urgent want because the council will shut the dump within the yr 2025-2026 and construct a part of it as a photo voltaic farm.
Engineer Refuses To Give Up Search
In spite of persistent setbacks, Howells is decided to get well his misplaced fortune. As reported, he’s mulling an attraction to the Supreme Court. He has additionally intimated that he might try to purchase the whole landfill property to get entry to the placement.
“Howells’ tale, at times likened to a contemporary treasure hunt, will now find its way to more people as LEBUL turns a piece of discarded e-waste into entertainment,” mentioned one report on the brand new sequence.
Entertainment Project Generates Huge Interest
The documentary sequence has already piqued the curiosity of worldwide streaming channels desirous to distribute the content material. Some cryptocurrency companies have additionally proven curiosity in sponsoring the undertaking, mentioned LEBUL.
LEBUL executives are assured that the mix of real-life drama, important monetary stakes, and real-time developments will make the sequence enticing to each cryptocurrency followers and basic audiences who usually are not accustomed to Bitcoin’s early days.
The agency has but to announce a launch date for any part of the undertaking.
Featured picture from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView
