Kevin Spacey has marked his return to directing with a bold sci-fi venture called Holiguards Saga—The Portal of Force. The movie was unveiled over the weekend at the Venice Film Festival.
What’s capturing headlines, though, is the creative force behind the script, Vladimir “Lado” Okhotnikov. He is a Russian entrepreneur and co-founder of the Ethereum-based DeFi platform Forsage. But he isn’t far from controversy; in 2022, the SEC had accused him of orchestrating a $300 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.
Spacey returns to direct with controversial collaborator
The case pertains to the SEC suing Forsage’s founders, including Okhotnikov, for allegedly defrauding investors of hundreds of millions. The following year, the Department of Justice filed criminal charges, labeling the scheme a global Ponzi and pyramid operation. Interestingly, this was the first criminal DeFi fraud case in U.S. legal history.
Prosecutors allege Forsage used smart contracts on Ethereum, Tron, and BNB Chain to siphon funds from new participants directly to earlier ones, resulting in losses for over 80% of investors. Okhotnikov has vehemently denied wrongdoing, stating in a YouTube message that “real scams can never win people’s hearts.”
A glitzy Venice premiere
At Venice, the cast and crew attended a ceremonious launch featuring Spacey, an opera performance, and a troupe of Georgian dancers, centering attention on the film’s trailer debut. The story, envisioned as the first in a trilogy, explores an epic battle between ancient beings, the Holiguards versus the Statiguards. The battle is triggered when a cosmic portal connects them to a primal force known as “the Prime.” The ensemble cast includes Spacey alongside Dolph Lundgren, Tyrese Gibson, and Eric Roberts.
This project will see Spacey return to the director’s chair after 2004 and following his withdrawal from the industry amid misconduct allegations. He was ultimately acquitted of sexual assault charges by a London jury in 2023. Meanwhile, Okhotnikov remains based in Dubai, where he is currently working on a metaverse wellness initiative called Holiverse. The initiative’s objective is to meld biohacking, genetics, and self-development within a virtual realm to enhance longevity