Adam McKay's Elizabeth Holmes movie Bad Blood picked up by Apple Studios

The film, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Holmes, as was first announced way back in 2016

Adam McKay's Elizabeth Holmes movie Bad Blood picked up by Apple Studios
Adam McKay and Elizabeth Holmes Photo: Andreas Rentz

It feels like an eternity ago since it was announced that Adam McKay was making a movie about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. In fact, the news was announced even before the Trump presidency, so it’s understandable that people forgot this film was even in the works. But now, it’s actually happening: Apple Studios is producing Bad Blood.

The biopic, written, directed, and produced by McKay, will “chart the dramatic story of Holmes’ Silicon Valley blood testing startup that catapulted her to being the youngest and richest self-made billionaire before claims of fraud brought everything crashing down.” The film is based on John Carreyrou’s book Bad Blood: Secrets And Lies In A Silicon Valley Startup, that exposed the fraudulence of Holmes’ biotech company. Besides Jennifer Lawrence—who will play Elizabeth Holmes—the rest of the cast hasn’t been announced yet.

It’s a good thing McKay shelved the script for a while. Holmes is currently on trial, facing eleven charges of defrauding patients by claiming that Theranos has groundbreaking blood-testing technology. If found guilty, she could face up to 20 years in prison. The trial is set to end in mid-December.

And because there’s still so much fascination in Hollywood over the rise and fall of Theranos, especially now with the trial underway, this isn’t the only Elizabeth Holmes biopic in the works.

Hulu is also working on its own limited series, The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried. Kate McKinnon (who was perfectly cast) was initially set to star, but she dropped out (heh) of the show. Naveen Andrews, Laurie Metcalf, Dylan Minnette, Sam Waterston, Anne Archer, Kurtwood Smith, and more are also set to appear on the series.

Rather than being based on Carreyrou’s Bad Blood, Hulu’s series narrates the happenings presented on the podcast The Dropout, made by Rebecca Jarvis for ABC Audio.

 
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