Entertainment company acquires exclusive rights to story of Brit's lost $800 million bitcoin fortune

The notorious tale of James Howells' bitcoin fortune lost to landfill took a fresh turn on Tuesday, as entertainment media startup Lebul announced it had acquired the exclusive rights to develop and produce the story.

The deal includes a premium docuseries dubbed "The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells," a podcast, and an expansive short-form content and marketing strategy across social platforms, according to a statement.

The story plans to chronicle Howells' mission to recover a hard drive — now holding access to over $800 million in bitcoin — mistakenly discarded 12 years ago, "blending cinematic storytelling with real-time global stakes, blockchain technology and environmental innovation."

"This isn't just content," Lebul President of Unscripted Entertainment Reese Van Allen said. "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."

"A story the world is waiting to see. $800M — 8,000 bitcoin. Buried for over a decade," Howells posted on X. "Proud to announce a partnership with LA-based production company Lebul to produce a docuseries, covering ‘The Buried Bitcoin’… including what comes next!"

Lebul appears to be a recent startup in the industry with little recognition. However, it claims to have a world-class team of film creators, marketing strategists and digital storytellers, and that the project is already drawing early interest from global sponsors, crypto leaders and streaming platforms.

"After many conversations, I chose to partner with Lebul because I genuinely connected with their team," Howells told The Block, confirming the news. "They’re a highly capable, creative group with the production expertise to deliver a global media campaign over the next 6–12 months. I believe they're the right people to tell this story — with the weight, depth and neutrality it deserves." 

"[Lebul are] also genuinely passionate about telling the full story — not just the treasure hunt, but the legal battles, the environmental situation, the tech, the cultural impact and of course… what comes next," he added.

Howells and Lebul did not disclose any financial details of the deal.

How we got here

Howells, a computer engineer and resident of Newport, South Wales, believes his former partner mistakenly threw out the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013 and took legal action to access his local landfill or pursue £495 million ($609 million) in compensation from Newport City Council.

During a hearing last December, the court learned that Howells, an early Bitcoin adopter, mined over 7,500 BTC in 2009 when it held little value. Yet, Judge Andrew John Keyser KC dismissed the case on Jan. 9, stating that there were "no reasonable grounds" for bringing the claim and "no realistic prospect of succeeding if it went to trial" given the amount of time that had passed. Howells appealed the decision in March, but that attempt was also denied.

However, if the current owners are willing to negotiate at fair market rates, Howells and his investment partners would be interested in acquiring the Newport Docksway landfill site outright, he previously told The Block, without naming the partners. Howells said he had discussions with several interested parties in recent months, with "a few options on the table."

Even if Howells manages to access the site one way or another, his chances of finding the hard drive among the landfill's 1.4 million tonnes of garbage are just 1 in 902 million, UK waste management experts Business Waste told The Block in February.

Howells "profoundly" rejected those claims at the time, as well as the notion that he could not locate the hard drive with the budget and technology available to him.

Regarding a potential acquisition, Howells previously explained the first step would be to determine if Newport City Council is willing to sell the site to an investment and maintenance group, then to discuss the possibility of Natural Resources Wales granting an excavation and reclamation permit before any potential deals and figures could be discussed in serious detail.

If that falls through, Howells also doesn't rule out launching a utility token or NFT related to the efforts, previously telling The Block he is "pretty confident the crypto world would have my back."