Citadel hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin is so pissed off about his portrayal in the upcoming movie “Dumb Money” that he’s started a legal battle with Sony Pictures, according to a report published Monday.
“Dumb Money” tells the true story of the GameStop meme stock eruption of 2021, which wreaked absolute havoc in the financial sector as millions of dollars fled the pockets of the uber-rich and went directly into the accounts of everyday folks. Griffin is apparently the absolute villain of the entire story, as far as filmmaker Craig Gillespie portrayed him, and the billionaire is pissed as heck, Puck News reported.
The ever-brilliant Nick Offerman (“Parks & Rec,” “Last Of Us“) plays Griffin in the movie. And Griffin feels like the film “crosses the line into the knowingly false and defamatory portrayal of Ken and Citadel Securities,” according to a letter viewed by Puck News, sent to Sony Pictures by entertainment attorney Tom Clare. Sony declined to comment to the outlet.
Two separate firms are reportedly trying to tackle the movie at Griffin’s request (and probably huge payment), and he’s in the process of consulting a crisis P.R. firm to overcome whatever blowback he’s apparently expecting.
No one in the film is portrayed in exceptionally beautiful light, according to Puck, so it’s strange to me that Griffin would apparently go to such an extreme. If Puck is correct in all its allegations, it seems like the only reason Griffin would need to take legal action to tackle the potential fallout of this film is if he’s done something (a) illegal, (b) could destroy his firm or (c) would stop future generations from wanting to work with him. But the movie apparently disputes any allegations Griffin and his associates did anything illegal, according to Puck.
Honestly, I am so here for whatever happens next. Citadel’s grasp on our economy is unhinged, so anything to shake up the status quo sounds good to me. (RELATED: Financial Expert Explains Why The Economy Is Collapsing In One Perfect Tweet)
Oh, and not that I asked for his opinion on my opinion, but Griffin’s team sent me this in regard to the whole situation:
“The original script contained numerous fabrications, and Citadel felt an obligation to flag those to Sony,” his team said. “Thanks to our letter, Sony corrected them and the final film did not include a number of falsehoods that would have been blatantly misleading to the audience. While it’s a shame the final version still chose to sensationalize events through false implications and inaccuracies, we are glad our letter gave Sony the chance to correct some of its mistakes before the film was released.”
They didn’t say what was apparently fabricated. And, honestly, it just made me even more excited to see this film. It’s gotta be at least a little entertaining to get this kind of treatment.
“Dumb Money” hits theaters today, so go check it out. And let us know what you thought of Griffin’s portrayal.