Netflix was cheated out of $55 million by a director who was a little too fond of crypto and luxury cars!

Engaged by Netflix to oversee an ambitious science fiction series, director Carl Erik Rinsch (47 Ronin) eventually had other projects with the money provided by the streaming service.

Netflix wanted its series like Westworld. All it ended up getting was a $55 million hole in its coffers. She owes this disappointment to Carl Erik Rinsch, an American director whose only feat of arms is to have achieved failure (criticism and box office) 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves in 2013. The New York Times tells us this strange story which began at the end of 2018…

Devouring appetite and blind confidence

At this period, different platforms were fighting to obtain the project for a science fiction series centered on androids, then in the state of an unfinished script. It is ultimately Netflix, particularly against Amazon, which will win the auction. It will not only provide the almost unknown director with the $44 million budget, but also complete creative and spending freedom.

But what was originally called “White Horse” (in reference to the first Horseman of the Apocalypse), then finally “Conquest”, will never see the light of day. Despite having started filming the series, not the least of the twelve planned episodes will be completed.

One director, many problems

The first cause seems to have been the problematic behavior of Carl Erik Rinsch on the sets. Bad treatment from the teams (annoyance, insults, shouting, etc.) reached the ears of Netflix, while after several days without sleep the director allegedly accused his wife, Gabriela Rosés Bentancor, of plotting against him to have him murdered… During their subsequent divorce, the latter will also mention cases of objects thrown at him and punches in the walls.

In his defense, the director said he had been diagnosed and being treated for autism and attention deficit disorder. His wife and members of the “Conquest” team were also concerned about his consumption of medications, which could generate strong side effects.

But the story does not end there. In 2020, once filming is completed, Carl Erik Rinsch will ask Netflix for an extension (increasing the budget from $44 million to $55 million). He will use a vast majority of this sum to invest in risky investments on the stock market. Text messages and emails will also report his strange theories concerning Covid-19, while in the following months he will speak to his ex-wife about his ability to predict volcanic eruptions and lightning, among other… astonishing remarks.

But back to the series. It will turn out that the director will also invest $4 million of the budget in cryptocurrencies (Dogecoin). In 2021, this investment will bring him $27 million, of which he will invest approximately $8 million in six luxury cars, a watch and luxury clothing. In a deposition during his stormy divorce, he declared that these purchases were intended for the series. Netflix unsurprisingly contested and canceled the series.

The firm is now engaged in arbitration proceedings with the man, who accuses the company of owing him at least $14 million for breach of contract. Since then, Carl Erik Rinsch has contested the article in New York Times even before its publication, then disappeared from social networks.

Source : The New York Times