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In 2014, Forbes named Elizabeth Holmes the youngest self-made female billionaire. The 20-something entrepreneur is the founder and CEO of Theranos and with the false hope of creating technology that would revolutionise the healthcare industry, managed to fund over $92 million USD from investors. Holmes is now in court where she has been accused of 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy.
The meteoritic rise to corporate fame and subsequent demise has been documented into a new Hulu series, The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried. The streaming service revealed a first look at the forthcoming release which has been described as “an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong.”
Currently, Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count.
According to Entertainment Tonight, the series is adapted from the ABC Radio podcast about Holmes and her Silicon Valley-based company. The shocking story was also immortalised 2018 nonfiction book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. HBO commissioned a documentary based on the book in 2019 for The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.
The blonde-haired blue-eyed Seyfried shares an almost uncanny resemblance to Holmes. She is best known for her role in the Mamma Mia franchise, Mean Girls and Dear John.
Naveen Andrews will play Holmes’ former business partner and boyfriend, Sunny Balwani, with William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, Elizabeth Marvel, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton, Stephen Fry, Dylan Minnette, Alan Ruck, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Sam Waterston, LisaGay Hamilton, Michaela Watkins and Ebon Moss-Bachrach all starring in the series.
The Dropout will feature eight episodes with the first three to premiere on Hulu and Disney+ brand Star from March 3, 2022.
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