A new trailer has offered a first glimpse of Amanda Seyfried portraying the recently convicted biotech boss Elizabeth Holmes.
Holmes was convicted of fraud in January for turning her blood-testing start-up Theranos into a sophisticated sham where she duped billionaires and other unwitting investors into backing a seemingly revolutionary company whose medical technology never worked as promised.
Seyfried will star as Holmes in the upcoming series, titled The Dropout, which will tell the tale of “ambition and fame gone terribly wrong,” according to Disney.
How did a Stanford dropout become one of Silicon Valley's most notorious CEOs? @AmandaSeyfried stars as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes when #TheDropoutHulu premieres March 3. 🩸 pic.twitter.com/C17E0eoKTX
— Hulu (@hulu) February 7, 2022
The teaser clip opens with Seyfried in Holmes’ classic attire of a black turtleneck and red lipstick with her voiceover saying: “The world works in certain ways until a new great idea comes along and changes everything.”
It follows the actress portraying an ambitious Holmes, who drops out of Stanford University to pursue creating her own blood-testing company.
However, as pressure mounts upon Holmes, she starts spiralling and turns to questionable methods.
The new series will air on US streaming service Hulu and will premier on Disney+ in the UK, with three episodes available from March 3.
Seyfried will star alongside Naveen Andrews, who will play former president and chief operating officer of Theranos Sunny Balwani.
One drop changed everything. Watch @AmandaSeyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in #TheDropout on March 3. pic.twitter.com/qk6w4TqDsd
— Hulu (@hulu) February 7, 2022
The series will also feature appearances from Stephen Fry, Dylan Minnette, Laurie Metcalf, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton, Michel Gill and LisaGay Hamilton.
William H Macy, Elizabeth Marvel, Alan Ruck, Sam Waterson, Michaela Watkins will also be a part of the cast.
A jury convicted the 37-year-old Holmes on three charges of fraud and one of conspiracy to commit fraud after seven days of deliberation.
The verdict followed a three-month trial featuring dozens of witnesses — including Holmes herself.
She now faces up to 20 years in prison for each count, although legal experts say she is unlikely to receive anything close to the maximum sentence.
Federal prosecutors presented evidence to depict Holmes as a charlatan obsessed with fame and fortune.
While in seven days on the witness stand, she cast herself as a visionary trailblazer in male-dominated Silicon Valley who was emotionally and sexually abused by her former lover and business partner, Balwani.
The Dropout will premiere with three episodes on March 3 on Disney+, with new episodes streaming weekly.
