Upon accidentally gaining access to a sovereign fund containing billions of dollars, an awkward social-climber has to siphon as much money as he can, using brilliant and complicated financial structures, before the authorities close in. Based on the story of real-life billionaire playboy Jho Low, the central character of the world's biggest financial scandal.

SYNOPSIS:

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The pitch:

What do Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorcese, Goldman Sachs, the US Department of Justice, Paris Hilton, financial institutions around the world and the sovereign fund of Malaysia have in common? They all found themselves caught in the middle of the biggest financial scandal in the world called 1MDB.

This is the story of Jho Low, who plundered so much money, that at the height of his exploits, had more money than anyone in history. We're not talking about merely $200 champagnes and mega yachts. We're talking about stealing money that surpasses the GDP of many developing countries.

But how did he pull this off? The system. A former employee of 1MDB put it to me like this: "If you and I were to were to steal a dollar from a convenience store, we'd be arrested immediately. But when Jho Low plunders billions, the absurdity and improbability of it all meant that no one will even question it. Because who steals billions?".

It is my love letter to millions of hardworking people whose money has been spent on Monets and diamonds and a Bombardier jet. Jho Low has inspired countless documentaries, articles, books (Billion Dollar Whale, The Sarawak Report). The script won the International Screenwriting Association's Table Read My Screenplay (Biopic/Historical) 2021.

Overview:

The screenplay uses a bold and unconventional structure. It is divided into 3 parts; each showing one of Jho Low’s legendary parties that he throws at 3 different phases of his life. We shadow him in real-time with no breaks, as we plunge straight into Jho Low's world, watching the man navigate the chaotic yet fascinating world of high finance.

Part 1: The 1st party at the Palazzo Hotel (Las Vegas)JHO LOW (male, 30), an awkward social climber turned billionaire-playboy, has just siphoned hundreds of millions from 1MDB (the Malaysian sovereign fund). To celebrate his victory in a major corporate acquisition and his 30th birthday, he throws a party at the Palazzo Hotel. Some of the biggest names in Hollywood and the movers and shakers of the business world will be there. However, he has only two things in mind for the evening: to rain 888 bottles of Cristal in a stunt that will immortalize the event as Party Of The Century and to impress his crush ELVA HSIAO (female, 20’s). While he often shares a jacuzzi with some of the hottest models on the planet, this poor billionaire isn’t exactly a ladies’ man.

Assisted by his long-suffering assistant MIN (early 50’s, female), we shadow him for 30 mins before the legendary party starts. We see various people, all wanting their 5 minutes with the new billionaire in town; all with their own agenda.

Enter TIM LEISSNER (early 50’s, male), Goldman Sachs Asia's boss, a financial maverick who is eager to make a big commission for himself. Jho Low wants Tim to approve a massive $6.5 billion bond for 1MDB but Tim has reservations - Compliance will detect the money movement and there is no way to hide the money trail. Jho Low uses his financial knowledge to circumvent the legalities and persuades Tim to use his influence to get Compliance to approve.

Enter RIZA AZIZ (mid 30’s, male), a Hollywood producer who has formed a production company with Jho Low, but from the start, it is obvious they have different ideas. Jho Low wants to go big and break into Hollywood with a big bang with their next film Wolf Of Wall Street and win an Oscar. Riza wants to play it safe; after all, they’re using illegally-acquired money from 1MDB. Jho Low taunts Riza, reminding Riza that he has been living under the shadow of his step-dad, the powerful Prime Minister of Malaysia. Riza has one chance to prove he is his own man: to get Najib to sign a bond deal with 1MDB where they could siphon hundreds of millions of dollars to fund their movie company. Riza promises he will do his part.

Enter MOHAMED AL-HUSSEINY (late 40’s, male), a powerful Middle-Eastern playboy in charge of Dubai’s sovereign fund. He strikes a deal with Jho Low - he will bring both sovereign funds (Dubai and Malaysia) together, and with Jho Low’s help, siphon billions into a fake entity.

While Jho Low is swarmed left and right by everyone who wants his attention, his real attention is on Elva, a model so hot, even a billionaire like Jho Low is out of her league. He has been lavishing her with gifts, but he is still not getting any action tonight.

Just as the party is about to start, there is a major problem: his magnificent plan of having 888 bottles of Crystal rain on his guests is halted - the hotel cuts off the electricity over Jho Low’s unpaid bills. In a fit of rage, Jho Low begins trashing the Palazzo.

Part 2: The 2nd party at the mega-yacht Equanimity (The Persian Gulf)It’s the day of the Malaysian general election and the results are being broadcast live. Najib Razak, the incumbent Prime Minister is poised to win big. Jho Low has been under Najib’s protection as he plunders 1MDB, and in return, he rewards Najib with hundreds of millions. He’s confident Najib will win (“Even if God Himself rigged the election, Najib will still win!”), and will continue to protect him. He throws a party on his newly purchased mega-yacht Equanimity, one of the biggest in the world, where his guests can watch the election results real-time.

Riza Aziz is furious that Jho Low had unilaterally announced yet another film. Their film company, Red Granite is being investigated and should stay low-key. Jho Low assures him Najib will win, so they will be safe.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Al-Husseiny tries to explain to Jho Low that their money laundering schemes will soon be found out. It is simply not that easy to move billions around the world without triggering some red flags. Moreover, the Malaysian opposition party has been mounting a relentless campaign against Najib on his source of wealth. Jho Low begins to craft complicated financial structures to hide the money trail, including conjuring reasons for all the money movement and faking a letter from a fictitious Arab prince. This is Jho Low at his best, performing David Copperfield economics, making billions disappear and appearing in his own account.

As the party progresses, it soon dawns upon them that Najib is losing. But Jho Low ignores the signs, harboring hope for a miracle. On the other hand, he is also distracted by Elva; he has been showering her with jewelry worth millions and all he wants in return is just a kiss.

With Tim Leissner, things are not looking good either. The authorities are suspicious about all the transactions into off-shore accounts, including Najib’s account, and are breathing down his neck. Jho Low wants Tim to hide his involvement but Tim is bound by regulations. Not willing to risk being the scapegoat, Tim asks for $100 million to continue doing Jho Low’s bidding.

While all this happens, Min slowly realizes the truth - her boss has been secretly orchestrating the biggest heist in the world. She confronts him.

By evening, Najib loses the election - an unprecedented defeat that defied all expectations. Jho Low’s world comes crumbling down.

Part 3: The 3rd party at The Waldorf Astoria (Shanghai) Jho Low is now on the run. His mega-yacht Equanimity has been seized and there is an extradition request from Malaysia for him to face charges. But he is still living the life, organizing parties and living in suites, convinced that the Chinese authorities won’t turn him in. At the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, he prepares a surprise proposal to Elva, convinced that she will say yes.

Riza Aziz delivers the bad news: Jho Low has been denied a nomination for the Oscars despite being the financier for Wolf Of Wall Street. The US Department Of Justice has begun seizing Riza's assets, and he has decided to cooperate with the authorities. Jho Low is furious - this means Riza will drag Jho Low down with him. He begs Riza to not do a deal with the DoJ, but Riza has had enough and walks out on the surprise proposal, and out of Jho Low’s life.

Al-Husseiny on the other hand, now has a warrant of arrest on him. The Swiss authorities are on him, and the fake entity formed to siphon money has to now repatriate all the stolen money back to Malaysia. Jho Low begs him to use his power to continue pumping money to keep 1MDB afloat, but Al-Husseiny refuses.

Tim Leissner, is now charged with crimes that will put him behind bars for a long time. He begs Jho Low to cover for him, but Jho Low leaves him to fend for himself.

While Jho Low deals with all this, he struggles to focus on his surprise proposal. He has arranged for fireworks over The Bund, helicopters, parachutes and a $40 million engagement ring, but Elva turns him down.

Jho Low is now alone on the balcony of the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai, abandoned by everyone. The house of cards has finally fallen. Min pleads with Jho Low to do the right thing and surrender. Jho Low finally reveals why he came up with a fake persona in the form of Eric Tan (“Eric Tan is everything I am not.”). Eric Tan was a random stranger who taught him the value of a bottle of Cristal champagne (“It’s never about the Cristal. It’s about the man who can buy 50 of them.”) and that was the beginning of his criminal life.

Aware that authorities all over the world are hunting for him, Jho Low decides to take on yet another identity - this time, a faceless guy who will be indistinguishable in a country of 1.5 billion people (China). He walks off into the horizon, with Min watching him fade into the crowd - that young man who at the height of his exploits, had access to more money at any one time than anyone in history.

THE BOY BILLIONAIRE FROM THE EAST