“One Trillion Dollars” on Paramount+
Change the world with money
Alessandra Mastronardi (l.) and Philip Froissant play the main roles in “One Trillion Dollars”.
© Paramount+/W&B Television/Gordon Muehle
An unexpected inheritance makes the protagonist of “One Trillion Dollars” the richest person on earth. Everything about the new series.
This is what “A Trillion Dollars” is about
The young John Fontanelli (Philip Froissant, 29) leads a carefree life in the federal capital Berlin between his job as a bicycle courier and lavish parties. Then John suddenly learns that he is to be the sole heir to humanity’s greatest fortune. 500 years ago, one of his ancestors invested money, and through interest and compound interest, over the centuries, it became the seemingly incomprehensible sum of a trillion dollars – i.e. 1,000 billion dollars.
However, there is also a prophecy associated with the inheritance, which naturally comes as a complete surprise to John. The heir should use the gigantic fortune to change the world for the better. But where to start? John gathers a group of experts, but the learned men and women quickly contradict each other with their solution concepts. He also discovers that his legendary inheritance also brings powerful opponents from the world of finance capital onto the scene, against whom he must defend himself and his plans.
Is “A Trillion Dollars” Worth It?
“One Billion Dollars” is clearly one of the more exciting German series projects in recent years. The streaming service Paramount+, which only launched in Germany in December last year, has chosen a novel with lots of contemporary references for its next in-house production. With young star Philip Froissant, who has just been awarded the German Television Prize as “Best Actor” for his performance in the historical series “The Empress”, an excellent leading actor has also been hired.
Although “One Billion Dollars” is a German production, the international cast in the series often speaks English, Italian or French. The plot also takes you to locations all over the globe such as New York, Paris, Morocco and Italy.
Can you change the world with money?
In “One Billion Dollars”, the protagonist John, played by Froissant, plunges into his new task courageously and full of energy after initial hesitation. In Berlin he initially launched a kind of financial start-up, with the interior of his new headquarters reminiscent of a tech company from California’s Silicon Valley and the legendary Berlin techno club Berghain.
Supported – among others – by the Italian Franca Vacchi (Alessandra Mastronardi, 37) and the enigmatic hedge fund manager Malcolm McCaine (Oliver Masucci, 54), John quickly realizes that his fabulous fortune alone is not enough to provide humanity with the much-needed relief cause the biggest problems. What’s more, the ruling financial elite is not willingly giving up its power in the form of shareholdings and control over international corporations – and is even beginning to actively take action against him.
With “One Billion Dollars”, the directing duo Isabel Braak (35) and Florian Baxmeyer (48) have created a highly topical series that ultimately asks the question of whether it is still possible in the face of climate change, environmental destruction and unleashed financial capitalism To turn things around towards a more sustainable and humane future.