For awhile, Theranos was the darling of Silicon Valley — a firm whose putatively revolutionary blood-testing device was evidence that the lucrative tech world could indeed forge humanitarian paths. But Theranos’ technology has been discredited — not to mention subject to criminal investigation — and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, once praised by Forbes as America’s richest self-made woman, has been disgraced. Earlier this month, Forbes backpedaled, placing the 32-year-old Holmes’ net worth at exactly zero.
It’s a sensational story that is now the stuff of Hollywood drama. Deadline reported Thursday night that Jennifer Lawrence will be playing Holmes in a forthcoming biopic to be directed by Adam McKay. Once known as an auteur of the bro comedy — he directed Step Brothers and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, to name a few — McKay has successfully pivoted towards more serious filmmaking, thanks to the success of The Big Short, his clever dramatization of the 2008 financial crisis.
There’s no title yet for the film — some have wryly suggested calling it “Blood Money” — and it has yet to be linked to a studio. Variety predicts a bidding war.
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now
