The rights to an unwritten book telling the GameStop story have already been bought to be turned into a film – and it's not the only movie detailing the Reddit versus Wall Street saga that is in the works.
Here we unravel all of the GameStop movie rumours, with casting suggestions for the Hollywood powers that be...
Film one: MGM's adaptation of an unwritten book
Media company MGM has bought the rights to Ben Mezrich's book proposal The Antisocial Network. The writer behind The Accidental Billionaires (2009) has yet to pen his GameStop story, but MGM has invested based on the proposal. The Accidental Billionaires was turned into the 2010 film The Social Network, which appears to have inspired his latest working title.
MGM's The Antisocial Network will have competition in its retelling of the David versus Goliath events that took place on Wall Street in January, when users of the Reddit site, or Redditors, went up against some of the biggest hedge funds in the US to save GameStop from collapse.
Film two: Netflix to give GameStop the 'Hurt Locker' treatment
Video streaming platform Netflix also wants in on the action. Hollywood trade publication Deadline has reported that Netflix is "in talks to make an untitled film that Mark Boal is in negotiations to write. He's the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty."
According to Deadline, Netflix favourite Noah Centineo is also attached to the project; Centineo is best known for his role in teen romcom To All The Boys I've Loved Before.
TV show: Limited series in the works from industry newcomers
It does not stop there, however, as there could also be a GameStop television series vying for your attention.
As first reported by Deadline, the production company Pinky Promise is set to develop a limited series with the working title To The Moon, which tackles the r/WallStreetBets story. According to the publication, industry newcomers Pinky Promise "have met with several top members of the Reddit group, hedge funds and other trading insiders."
Who else is set to take on GameStop movie roles?
As it stands, there are no other famous names linked to the projects – which has not stopped Twitter speculating which stars they'd like to see in the roles.
A recurring favourite is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who Twitter user Mike Toney has suggested plays Vlad Tenev, co-founder of Robinhood, the low-cost platform where much of the trading took place.
Calling it now... Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Robinhood co-founder, Vlad Tenev, in the future movie on the events of this week. pic.twitter.com/REp58JkTmp
— MikeTone (@MikeTone_) January 28, 2021
Twitter users seem to agree that Gordon-Levitt is the man for the role, however Adam Driver's name has also been thrown into the mix by Daniel Sigal.
Character - either Joseph Gordon-Levitt @hitRECordJoe or Adam Driver as Vlad Tenev @vladtenev of Robinhood @RobinhoodApp pic.twitter.com/S7KEvBLqUU
— Daniel Sigal (@DanielSigal) February 2, 2021
The National's Cody Combs also backed an Adam Driver casting in January.
So... which actors will be cast for the inevitable movie remake of this #Robinhood / #GameStop #shortsell fiasco? I vote to cast Adam Driver for Vlad #Tenev. Any other ideas? pic.twitter.com/t142V62qmi
— Cody Sigel Combs (@CodyCombsNEWS) January 29, 2021
Sigal, the founder of the Facebook group Millennial Wall Street, has a whole thread speculating casting rumours. He also suggests casting Christian Bale again as investor Dr Michael J Burry, founder of Scion Asset Management, reprising the Oscar-nominated role that Bale played in 2015's The Big Short.
He suggests Aziz Ansari or Kumail Nanjiani to play Social Capital's Chamath Palihapitiya; and Matt Dillon plays Gabriel Plotkin of Melvin Capital.
Character - Either Aziz Ansari @azizansari or Kumail Nanjiani @kumailn as Chamath Palihapitiya @chamath of Social Capital @socialcapital. pic.twitter.com/WfcbOloibU
— Daniel Sigal (@DanielSigal) February 2, 2021
When it comes to directors, Boal has teamed up with Kathryn Bigelow on both The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty in the past, so it's been hinted she could be in the directing seat for this project, too.
Another Twitter user has joked that Adam McKay, who was behind Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar-winner The Big Short, could be currently working on a screenplay that would have Gordon-Levitt star as Tenev and Ryan Gosling as Melvin Capital's Plotkin.
Adam McKay banging out a script for "The Short Squeeze: Can't Stop, Won't Stop, Game Stop" starring Joseph Gordon Levitt as #RobinHood CEO and Ryan Gosling as Melvin Capital hedge fund manager. pic.twitter.com/VZYsTRu1Hm
— Cat Vasquez (@AAS_Cat) January 29, 2021
