On Investors Day in 2020, Disney announced the making of a new limited series called The Dropout. The series will focus on the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The show will stream exclusively on Hulu with Elizabeth Meriwether, who produced New Girl, as showrunner. FOX Searchlight Television and 20th Television will serve as production studios.
On March 29, Variety reported that Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried would join the cast of the Hulu’s series and also serve as a producer, replacing Kate McKinnon, who was originally cast as Holmes.
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Read on to learn more about Hulu’s forthcoming series.
A hit podcast inspired the show.
Rebecca Jarvis is the creator and host of the ABC News/ABC Radio podcast The Dropout. She investigated Holmes for three years. Based on the podcast description, the show explores how “the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye? How did the woman once heralded as ‘the next Steve Jobs’ find herself facing criminal charges—to which she pleaded not guilty—and up to 20 years in jail? How did her technology, meant to revolutionize healthcare, potentially put millions of patients at risk? And how did so many smart people get it so wrong along the way?” The podcast was a hit and was featured on ABC’s 20/20 in 2019.
Courtesy of Hulu
According to Hulu, “The Dropout is a limited series executive produced and starring Amanda Seyfried, inspired by the ABC News podcast on the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The series will explore what caused the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, once heralded as “the next Steve Jobs,” to lose everything in the blink of an eye.”
Amanda Seyfried was cast in the lead role.
Multiple outlets have reported Amanda Seyfried is slated to play the infamous Elizabeth Holmes. Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon was initially set to play the role but exited the series due to scheduling issues. According to Vulture, McKinnon is set to star in NBCUniversal’s newest series Joe Exotic as Carole Baskin.
The casting news came after Seyfried received her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mank. Seyfried spoke with Hollywood Reporter about her major achievement. “It’s a big turning point for me in my career to be a part of something that’s so recognized and for my own singular performance to be recognized,” she said. “It’s really nice. To be recognized by your peers—you don’t expect it, but when it happens, it just deepens my clarity on having chosen my career.”
Naveen Andrews joined the cast as Seyfried’s onscreen love interest.
On March 30, Variety reported that Naveen Andrews would join the main cast in the role of Sunny Balwani, Holmes’ secret boyfriend and business partner. Throughout the rise and fall of Theranos, Balwani served as the company’s president and chief operating officer. Andrews previously earned a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination for role in the hit ABC show “Lost.”
The show is slated for release on Hulu later this year.
According to Hollywood Reporter, the show will debut in fall 2021 and start production in this summer. Hulu has not yet released an official release date for the series.⠀
Michael Showalter will direct multiple episodes.
On March 31, Deadline reported that Michael Showalter, who directed The Big Sick as co-created Search Party, would be in the director’s chair for multiple episodes. Showalter is also an executive producer of The Dropout along with Meriwether, Jordana Mollick, Liz Heldens, Liz Hannah, Katherine Pope, Rebecca Jarvis, Victoria Thompson, and Taylor Dunn.
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