A staggering $800 million worth of bitcoin, buried in a landfill, is being turned into a global media project, combining real-time drama, technological innovation, and environmental conflict.
On April 29, Los Angeles-based entertainment media company Lebul announced that exclusive rights had been acquired to develop a multimedia adaptation of James Howells’ ongoing effort to recover 8,000 BTC lost in a Welsh landfill—an endeavor now valued at nearly $800 million. The initiative will be spread across multiple platforms, including a premium docuseries, a podcast, and an extensive social media campaign aimed at engaging a global audience.
The company described the project as “The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells,” a story chronicling James’ mission to recover the hard drive, mistakenly discarded twelve years ago, now worth over $800 million, while navigating the numerous practical and bureaucratic obstacles standing in the way.
The series will blend cinematic storytelling with real-time global stakes, blockchain technology, and environmental innovation.
The first official adaptation of Howells’ story is marked by the series, which has captivated tech enthusiasts and crypto watchers for more than a decade. The engineer’s years-long effort has involved navigating municipal restrictions, engaging with environmental agencies, and leveraging cutting-edge recovery methods.
A Welsh IT engineer, Howells, accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 BTC into the Docksway landfill in Newport, Wales, in 2013. Despite a team of technical and environmental experts being assembled and private funding secured for a controlled excavation, access to the site has repeatedly been denied by Newport City Council, citing environmental risks and asserting legal ownership of all landfill contents. After 10 years of petitioning local authorities and pursuing legal action, Howells’ case was dismissed by the High Court in January 2025, with the ruling stating that it had “no realistic prospect of succeeding.” Undeterred by this, Howells is now considering the purchase of the landfill before its scheduled closure in 2025–26 to launch the search independently.
The high-stakes nature of the story and its cultural relevance were emphasized by Lebul’s leadership. Reese Van Allen, president of unscripted entertainment at Lebul, stressed that “This isn’t just content.” He described:
It’s a live-action tech thriller with nearly a billion dollars on the line—and Lebul is proud to bring it to the world.
The venture is being positioned by the company as a bridge between traditional storytelling and digital innovation, with support from a global team of producers and strategists. Interest has already emerged from major streaming services, crypto companies, and brand sponsors, and the production is expected to attract significant attention as it explores the dramatic intersection of technology, wealth, and persistence.
