Director Allegedly Pockets Netflix Money, Spends It On Cars, Designer Clothing, Dogecoin

Back in 2018, Netflix invested millions of dollars in a sci-fi project called Conquest, only to never receive a single episode of the project. Instead, co-creator and director Carl Erik Rinsch allegedly mistreated cast and crew, and spent millions on cryptocurrency, luxury cars, and designer clothes.

Before Conquest, Rinsch had directed only one film: 47 Ronin, a critical and commercial failure. He was a protege of Ridley Scott, who worked as part of Scott's production company on commercials. He and his wife, Gabriela Rosés Bentancor, began to work on a sci-fi project on the side. The show concerned a genius who creates a humanlike species called the Organic Intelligent. Rinsch filmed brief proof-of-concept episodes, which drew the attention of multiple streaming giants. Netflix won the contract by promising millions more than its competitors and granting final-cut privileges for Rinsch.

A report from the New York Times--based on interviews with the show's cast and crew, texts and emails, as well as court filing in a divorce from his wife--alleges that Rinsch's behavior became strange soon after signing the contract. The series began shooting in São Paulo, with following shoots in Uruguay and Hungary. The film union in Brazil complained that Rinsch mistreated the crew, with "shouts" and "cursing." In Budapest, Rinsch allegedly went full days without sleeping and accused his wife of trying to assassinate him. According to the divorce filing, Rinsch had thrown things at his wife and punched holes in walls even before filming began.

In March 2020, Rinsch requested that Netflix send him more money, though he had missed several production milestones. Netflix sent $11 million dollars. Rinsch then transferred $10.5 million of that sum to his personal brokerage account. According to bank and brokerage statements included in the divorce case, he gambled it unsuccessfully on the stock market, but won big investing in Dogecoin. He then bought five Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari, and plenty of designer clothing and furniture.

After Netflix ceased funding the project, Rinsch eventually started an arbitration battle, claiming Netflix breached contract and that it owes him $14 million in damages. Netflix denies owing Rinsch any money. Rinsch refused to answer the Times' questions, stating on an Instagram post that he did not believe the article would be "accurate." Thomas Cherian, a spokeperson for Netflix, said to the Times that, "after a lot of time and effort, it became clear that Mr. Rinsch was never going to complete the project he agreed to make, and so we wrote the project off."

The case went before arbitration this month and a ruling is expected soon.