Bad Blood, a film about the Theranos scandal, has been picked up by Apple Original Films. The movie was initially acquired in 2016 by Legendary Pictures, which will now produce with Apple. Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Silver Lining's Playbook) will star as Elizabeth Holmes as well as produce alongside Adam McKay (The Big Short, Don’t Look Up) who is set to serve as writer, director, and producer for the true-crime film. The film, which will be based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist John Carreyrou’s book "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley," will tell the story of breakthrough Silicon Valley entrepreneur Holmes.
Holmes was the founder of the blood testing company Theranos, which claimed that its groundbreaking technology had the ability to run blood tests using only a small amount of the patient’s sample. This small prick of a finger, mixed with the assertion that the equipment involved was able to run rapid tests drove the company’s popularity and desire. Holmes was thought to be a true medical prodigy as she started the company at only 19 and drove it to be worth $10 billion in only 10 years. Questions and accusations began to swirl around the company in 2015 when Carreyrou teamed up with two medical investigators to get to the bottom of rumors surrounding Theranos. Holmes was ultimately charged with fraud in 2018 alongside the company’s former president, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. Holmes’ story is still unfolding as she is currently on trial.
Lawrence and McKay have recently teamed up for the comedic doomsday flick, Don’t Look Up, which boasts a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, and Mark Rylance. The Netflix film will hit the platform on December 23rd, but will debut in select theaters on December 10th.
Meanwhile, Apple Studios can add Bad Blood to their seemingly never-ending lineup of highly anticipated films including a musical take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol titled, Spirited, which will star Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, and others.
Those that have been following the Theranos story via book, podcast, or documentary are sure to be excited to hear the news that Bad Blood is finally getting its time to shine in film form. There is currently no release date for Bad Blood.