The Dropout: Amanda Seyfried is set to star in a series about the Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos scandal

One of the biggest scandals of all time is officially getting another star-studded adaption: The Dropout. 

In January earlier this year, Elizabeth Holmes, the American businesswoman and founder of Theranos, was found guilty of four counts of fraudulently deceiving investors. Her dramatic fall from grace has captivated the world, with a biopic about her life, Bad Blood starring Jennifer Lawrence, already in the works. 

And if you can’t wait to see J.Law’s take on the role of Elizabeth Holmes, you’ll be delighted to know that Amanda Seyfried will also be playing the disgraced CEO in a new TV series, The Dropout, which is coming to Hulu and Disney+. 

Here’s everything we know – including plot, trailer, and release date – about The Dropout:

Is The Dropout based on a true story? 

In short: yes. Elizabeth Holmes was the founder and CEO of the failed start-up company Theranos, which claimed it had the technology to revolutionise blood testing. 

After receiving billions of dollars in investments, Elizabeth was once valued at $4.5 billion, according to Forbes magazine, making her the youngest self-made female billionaire at the time. She also appeared on the covers of Forbes, Fortune and the New York Times’ T Magazine and was dubbed “the female Steve Jobs.”

It all came crashing down when John Carreyrou, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at the Wall Street Journal, began to investigate the company in 2015. His findings cast doubt over Theranos’ technology, prompting US financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, to launch an investigation. 

Within a year, Theranos laid off 40% of its employees and, by 2018, it had shut down altogether. Elizabeth was arrested three months later on criminal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In January 2022, she was found guilty of four counts of fraudulently deceiving investors – each of which carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years – and is almost guaranteed to spend time in prison.

What will The Dropout be about?

Hulu has described the TV series as “an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong,” adding that it’s about “Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception.” Yep, sounds intense. 

The Dropout is named after a podcast of the same name, which charted Elizabeth”s rise and fall, asking, “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 decades in prison?” 

It’s also a reference to Elizabeth’s famous decision to drop out of Stanford University in order to set up Theranos. 

Who will star in The Dropout?

Of course, Amanda Seyfried will take on the leading role of Elizabeth Holmes. She’ll be joined by none other than Stephen Fry, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Marvel, Laurie Metcalf, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton, Michel Gill, LisaGay Hamilton, Dylan Minnette, Alan Ruck, Sam Waterston, Michaela Watkins and more.

When will The Dropout be released?

The Dropout will be released on 3 March 2022 on Disney+. It’s expected to ‘drop’ (ahem) three episodes at once, before airing new episodes weekly. 

Is there a trailer for The Dropout? 

There sure is. Hulu released the following trailer, which gives viewers a good idea of how Amanda will be portraying Elizabeth.