Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

The director of ‘The Big Short’ is working on a Theranos movie starring Jennifer Lawrence

Adam McKay is also known for directing Will Ferrell’s “Anchorman.”

Jennifer Lawrence (l) and Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (r)
Jennifer Lawrence (l) and Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (r)
Jennifer Lawrence (l) and Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (r)
| Theo Wargo and Jamie McCarthy / Getty

Theranos, the blood-testing startup that many investigative pieces suggest is not very good at testing blood, is reportedly getting the Hollywood treatment.

Deadline reports that Jennifer Lawrence has signed onto the project, a drama that is being directed by “The Big Short” director Adam McKay. Lawrence is expected to portray 32-year-old Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, who was once considered one of Silicon Valley’s rising stars.

Theranos last raised capital in a funding round that set the company’s value at $9 billion. Forbes, which once put Holmes on its cover, has since revised down its appraisal of the company’s value to around $800 million. This would mean that Holmes, once a paper billionaire several times over, now has a net worth of about zero.

But back to the movie. Jennifer Lawrence’s last go at playing a female entrepreneur in “Joy” didn’t come off so well. The David O. Russell flick was pretty bad. But McKay is fresh off a deserved Oscar win for the critically acclaimed “Big Short,” which was a funny movie about last decade’s devastating financial collapse.

Next up: Will Nick Bilton’s 2013 book on Twitter’s origin story finally get made into a movie?

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady
Future Perfect
Some deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapySome deaf children are hearing again because of a new gene therapy
Future Perfect

A medical field that almost died is quietly fixing one disease at a time.

By Bryan Walsh