Netflix Sci-Fi Dream Becomes $11M Fraud Nightmare

Director Carl Rinsch's highly anticipated sci-fi series, 'White Horse,' for Netflix devolved into a Hollywood debacle, culminating in a criminal fraud trial. Prosecutors allege Rinsch defrauded Netflix of $11 million, misusing production funds for lavish personal expenses including luxury cars and cryptocurrency. Despite the financial accusations, Rinsch's defense characterizes the situation as a contractual dispute, with his attorney citing a lack of sufficient support from Netflix for the project's creative genius.

Despite initial excitement over early footage, Rinsch failed to deliver any completed episodes of 'White Horse.' Former Netflix executive Peter Friedlander testified about the struggles to get status updates, describing Rinsch's behavior as unproductive, including leaving meetings prematurely. Instead of show footage, Rinsch once presented a coffee table book filled with behind-the-scenes images from the uncompleted 2019 filming, a move Friedlander believed was an attempt to impress executives.

Filming began in 2019 with grand plans for international locations, but significant cost overruns and a lack of essential production roles raised early concerns. An agreement was reached in February 2020 for Netflix to provide $11 million for completion, contingent on weekly progress reports. However, with filming halted by the pandemic and no visible progress after receiving the funds, Netflix ultimately wrote down the production costs, marking the end of the ambitious project.