“This is the first time I can really show what we wanted to do at the landfill. I’m not giving up,” he says. For twelve long years, James Howells, a 39-year-old entrepreneur from Wales, has been trying in vain to recover the hard drive that stored his lost fortune: about £720 million in bitcoins. Now, a decade later, his incredible story is set for a new twist, this time on screen.
It all began in the summer of 2013 in Newport, South Wales. Howells, a computer technician by profession, accidentally threw away an old hard drive containing the access data to his digital wallet with more than 8,000 bitcoins, acquired in the early years of the cryptocurrency when they were still worthless. They are now worth $720 million.
For more than a decade, Howells undertook a nearly impossible task: to find the hard drive buried in a city landfill. He hired engineers, funded surveys of the area, and even developed an excavation plan using advanced technology to locate the device. But his efforts ran into a legal barrier. In January 2025, British courts denied him permission to excavate the landfill, citing risks to the environment and public safety.
A new chapter on screen
Despite his legal defeat, James Howells now has a new chance. The BBC reports that his adventures will be adapted for the screen by American production company LEBUL, which has acquired the exclusive rights to create a documentary series called Buried Bitcoin: The Search for James Howells’ Real Treasure. The production, which will launch later this year, will detail the ups and downs of the Welsh programmer, from his first steps in the world of cryptocurrency to his conflict with local authorities. Howells is ‘excited’ about the idea: ‘I am very happy that I will finally be able to tell this story in my own words.’
“This is the first time I can really show what we wanted to do at the landfill. I won’t give up,” he adds. The series, filmed in Los Angeles, will also include a podcast and short films that will accompany the protagonist’s attempts to buy the landfill where, he says, his digital treasure is still buried. ‘It will be like a live treasure hunt, so to speak, because even if the court said “no” to me, I won’t give up,’ Howells asserts.
A project with global ambitions
LEBUL has described the series as a mix of tech thriller and real-life adventure with cinematic staging and lavish CGI effects to recreate key moments in the story. ‘This isn’t just content. It’s a tech thriller with real events, with nearly a billion dollars at stake, and LEBUL is proud to present it to the world,’ says company representative Reese Van Allen. The production company also reported that the series has already generated significant interest from global sponsors, cryptocurrency industry leaders and major streaming platforms, heralding its international distribution.
Howells himself explained that his story attracted unusual attention. ‘Everyone wanted to film it,’ he says, claiming to have received about 200 offers from production companies around the world, including BAFTA and Emmy award-winning companies. However, until now, the timing ‘wasn’t right’ due to legal proceedings that kept him in court. James Howells’ odyssey has become something of a modern legend among cryptocurrency enthusiasts. His case symbolises both the boom and volatility of the digital world and the risks of not having physical support for cryptographic assets.
