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Elizabeth Holmes rose (and subsequently fell) from notoriety in 2014 when she funded over $92 million USD from investors for the invention of technology that was hoped to revolutionise the healthcare industry. Instead, she now faces 12 counts of fraud and conspiracy from her company, Theranos. The true story has been reimagined into a Hulu series, The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried. After a first look back in December, we finally have the official trailer which already promises an explosive tale.
“The world works in certain ways until a new great idea comes along and changes everything,” Seyfried’s character says in the trailer, the accent seemingly perfect. “What if you could test your blood in your own home? And what if it wasn’t a whole vial but just a drop?”
The series is adapted from an ABC Radio podcast on the scandal and follows Holmes’ dropout from Stanford and the launch of her controversial company. “Together we are making healthcare accessible to everyone in this country,” she adds.
Naveen Andrews will play Holmes’ former business partner and boyfriend, Sunny Balwani. The cast also features William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, Elizabeth Marvel, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton, Stephen Fry, Dylan Minnette, Alan Ruck, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Sam Waterston, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Michaela Watkins and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
On January 4, Holmes was found guilty of four out of 11 charges – one count of conspiracy to defraud investors, as well as three wire fraud counts tied to specific investors. According to CNN, Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count.
The story has also inspired the 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.
For Australian viewers, The Dropout will be made available to stream on Disney+.
