Jennifer Lawrence, Adam McKay Team on Movie About Theranos Founder

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

After winning an Oscar for taking a hard look at Wall Street prior to the recession, “The Big Short” director Adam McKay is ready to tackle another controversy, with the help of Jennifer Lawrence.

Sources tell Variety that McKay and Lawrence are attached to an untitled pitch that centers on Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the health-technology and medical-laboratory-services company Theranos. Forbes named Holmes the richest self-made woman last year. The biotech entrepreneur’s net worth was completely reduced last week when Forbes revised the estimate from $4.5 billion to zero following allegations that the company’s blood tests are inaccurate.


Lawrence will star and produce along with McKay, who will also write and direct the film.

The duo will take meetings with studios next week in what will likely result in a heated bidding war in the weeks to come.

Lawrence is represented by CAA and can currently be seen in “X-Men: Apocalypse.” McKay is repped by WME and Mosaic and is coming off “The Big Short,” which earned him an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

Deadline was first to report the news.

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/je...ie-1201792504/

Busy, busy girl.

[Leonidas King]

Ah hell just rate the movie already. You know its a 5/5!

[Creed]

Of course he will! Jokes aside, sounds interesting.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Originally Posted by Leonidas_King

Ah hell just rate the movie already. You know its a 5/5!

Hahaha.

I don't know nothing about this. But weird she's lined up all these movies that are based on real people. This, It's What I Do, Marita and The Dive.

[Chaotic]

Originally Posted by Jennifer Lawrence Fan

Hahaha.

I don't know nothing about this. But weird she's lined up all these movies that are based on real people. This, It's What I Do, Marita and The Dive.

Easy way to get an oscar.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Originally Posted by Chaotic

Easy way to get an oscar.

Maybe. This could be a guaranteed Oscar nod if done the right way. But I doubt she's doing it for Oscars. but cause the story is good.

[imsounoriginal]

Yeah, this sounds really interesting. Looking forward to this one.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

So the person made a fortune doing blood tests. But a lot of the time it ended up not being accurate? So the woman was a fraud or what? I guess they will touch upon that.

[jabbercash]

Can't wait for this. Love Lawrence. Loved The Big Short.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Originally Posted by jabbercash

Can't wait for this. Love Lawrence. Loved The Big Short.

I still need to see The Big Short yet.

But people should be happy she's working with other directors. Darren Aronofsky, Steven Spielberg and now McKay.

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by Jennifer Lawrence Fan

So the person made a fortune doing blood tests. But a lot of the time it ended up not being accurate? So the woman was a fraud or what? I guess they will touch upon that.

You know you can use the internet to look up and become more informed about stuff, right?

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Originally Posted by Thomas Guycott

You know you can use the internet to look up and become more informed about stuff, right?

I was just asking here. You don't need to act like snooty about it.

[Thomas Guycott]

I'm just saying, because it was a pretty big news story at the beginning of the week.

[Batman1980]

They had me at Jennifer Lawrence

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Jennifer Lawrence Fan

So the person made a fortune doing blood tests. But a lot of the time it ended up not being accurate? So the woman was a fraud or what? I guess they will touch upon that.

Basically, yeah, a fraud. This should be a very interesting movie. I trust McKay to handle something like this, and of course ... J-Law.

Holmes is a hell of a ... well, I won't say it. But it rhymes with "rich." So it should be a really juicy role for Jennifer.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Basically, yeah, a fraud. This should be a very interesting movie. I trust McKay to handle something like this, and of course ... J-Law.

Holmes is a hell of a ... well, I won't say it. But it rhymes with "rich." So it should be a really juicy role for Jennifer.

So basically the complete opposite of her role in Joy is what you're saying.

But yes. Anything with Jen is good. I know she's gotta be loving this. Seeing as how she's mentioned Step Brothers is one of her top 3 comedies of all time. Even though this will be a drama. With a smidge of humor in it.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Buyers Lining Up For Adam McKay-Jennifer Lawrence Pitch On Medical Company Theranos

EXCLUSIVE: The hottest package going into the weekend is the drama about the controversial medical company Theranos, which has Jennifer Lawrence attached to play its 32-year-old founder Elizabeth Holmes, and Adam McKay directing after he came off winning the Oscar for co-writing and directing another hot button pic, The Big Short. Deadline revealed last week that Lawrence and McKay would be teaming on this, and a package of background materials was sent to numerous buyers this morning.

Sources said there are already multiple offers on the table, this before a round of pitches that will be done by McKay on Monday before a decision is made. It’s possible the property could be taken off the table this weekend, and it certainly looks like it is going to fall in line with the demand that drove the recent hot package deal for the Max Landis-scripted Bright that came with Suicide Squad director David Ayer, Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, and which Netflix won.



This is a different kind of package, but it has McKay, and Lawrence, Hollywood’s most bankable female star. It also has a provocative and timely subject matter that offers the potential for a movie in the spirit of The Big Short and The Social Network, here showing how Wall Street falls in love with the potential behind a potentially disruptive company, and the complications that can arise. Theranos is the blood-testing startup that Holmes founded in 2003, with claims it could test blood with only a pinprick instead of the traditional method of drawing blood by injection. That potential left Theranos with a $9 billion valuation as recently as two years ago. The company has since come under investigation over claims of inaccurate testing and Holmes’ own worth — at one point valued at $4.5 billion for her 50% stake — has fallen to a fraction of that. The last valuation by Forbes placed the company’s net worth at $800 million.

Gary Sanchez is producing the film and McKay is repped by WME and Mosaic; Lawrence by CAA. Stay tuned. This will be a lively auction before it is decided.

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http://deadline.com/2016/06/adam-mck...on-1201774846/

Things are moving swiftly.

[TheLaughingMann]

Originally Posted by Jennifer Lawrence Fan

I was just asking here. You don't need to act like snooty about it.

"I'll be forced to get snooty."

"Snooty?"

"SNOTTY."

=P

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

‘Bad Blood’ Bids Mobilize for Jennifer Lawrence-Adam McKay Package: 8 Offers

EXCLUSIVE: We’ve rarely seen the feverish level of response that has greeted the pitch by Adam McKay for Bad Blood. This is the movie package that has Jennifer Lawrence attached to play Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the controversial blood-test company Theranos.

A total of eight bidders are in the mix this evening, a day after McKay pitched his vision for the hot-button film he’ll write and direct, very much in the spirit of last year’s The Big Short — for which he and Charles Randolph shared an Adapted Screenplay Oscar. The bidding right now is in the $3 million-$4 million range for his screenplay, for a film that will fall in the $40 million-$50 million budget range. As for the contenders: Universal and Legendary Pictures are the names we are hearing the most right now, along with Fox 2000, Warner Bros, Morgan Creek STX Entertainment, Cross Creek, Paramount and The Weinstein Company, with Amazon Studios orbiting as well.

The package includes a book proposal by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner John Carreyou, who has written articles on Theranos for The Wall Street Journal. This one could land tonight, or by tomorrow at the latest. It has all the requisites for the big packages studios are responding to right now: hot-button subject matter, McKay coming off his Oscar for Big Short and Oscar winner Lawrence, who usually finds herself in the Academy Awards mix on prestige projects, most recently Joy. Bad Blood certainly is the hottest picture package since the Max Landis-scripted spec Bright, which Netflix won with a $90 million commitment with Will Smith and Joel Edgerton starring.

This has been top of buyers’ lists ever since Deadline first revealed that Lawrence and McKay would be teaming on the project. Almost every major player was looking at this seriously over the weekend, with offers on the table even before McKay was scheduled to give his presentation starting today. The background materials, watermarked to prevent leaks, went out on Friday. The combination of McKay and Lawrence — Hollywood’s most bankable female star — in a provocative and timely project offers the potential for a movie in the spirit of The Big Short and The Social Network, with both box office and awards-season potential.

This time around the focus will be on Silicon Valley bubbles and how Wall Street falls in love with the potential behind a potentially disruptive company, and the complications that can arise. Theranos is the blood-testing startup that Holmes founded in 2003, with claims it could test blood with only a pinprick instead of the traditional method of drawing blood by injection. That potential left Theranos with a $9 billion valuation as recently as two years ago. The company since has come under investigation over claims of inaccurate testing, and Holmes’ own worth — at one point valued at $4.5 billion for her 50% stake — has fallen to a fraction of that. The last valuation by Forbes placed the company’s net worth at $800 million.

Gary Sanchez is producing the film with Lawrence and McKay. He is repped by WME and Mosaic; Lawrence is with CAA. WME has been leading the charge on the auction.

http://deadline.com/2016/06/adam-mck...od-1201775531/

I guess that's the title. I had heard about that as a possibility. But I guess this confirms it.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Legendary Wins Jennifer Lawrence-Adam McKay ‘Bad Blood’ Auction

EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Pictures emerged victorious and has landed Bad Blood, the pitch package that will be written and directed by Adam McKay, with Jennifer Lawrence starring as Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the controversial blood-test company Theranos. Legendary will pay around $3.5 million for the script to be written by McKay, who just shared a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Big Short. Universal will distribute through its deal with Legendary. The pic will have a budget between $40 million and $50 million. There is aggressive progress to production language, with McKay and Lawrence able to take the project elsewhere quickly, should it not go forward quickly. Landing the prestige picture is Mary Parent’s first major move to stamp her regime since taking the production reins at Legendary, and she prevailed over Paramount. Paramount was the other finalist in a bidding process that at one point had 10 suitors in the mix. Paramount distributed and marketed The Big Short, which got five Oscar nominations in total. One of the factors that gave the Uni/Legendary the upper hand was Legendary’s Wanda ownership, which gives the company a strong reach in China, as evidenced by the strong returns there on Warcraft.

The film will be produced by Gary Sanchez’s McKay, Will Ferrell and Kevin Messick, along with Lawrence.

The bidding battle got heated on Monday, after McKay delivered his pitch for the movie. Aside from the finalists, bidders in the mix earlier this week included Fox 2000, Warner Bros, STX Entertainment, Cross Creek, AG Capital and The Weinstein Company, and Amazon Studios. All of them responded to a McKay pitch for the hot-button film that is very much in the spirit of pics like The Big Short or The Social Network.


The pitch came after buyers were delivered an information package–watermarked to prevent leaks–that included a book proposal by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner John Carreyrou, who broke the story on Theranos for The Wall Street Journal last fall. A six-figure fee for the book rights is part of the deal. The whole auction was smartly played, and became the hottest pic package since the Max Landis-scripted spec Bright, which Netflix won with a $90 million commitment with Will Smith and Joel Edgerton starring. This was a different package from that tent pole popcorn film. Bad Blood is an adult drama with Oscar potential featuring Hollywood’s top paid actress who’s also been in the Oscar mix on films ranging from Joy to American Hustle and Winter’s Bone, to Silver Linings Playbook, the latter of which won her Best Actress honors.

Where McKay focused on the greed that caused the economic collapse in The Big Short, Bad Blood casts a critical eye on how innovative companies gain astronomical valuations, and sometimes prove too good to be true. Theranos is the blood-testing startup that Holmes founded in 2003, with claims it could test blood with only a pinprick instead of the traditional method of drawing blood by injection. That potential left Theranos with a $9 billion valuation as recently as two years ago. The company since has come under investigation over claims of inaccurate testing, and Holmes’ own worth — at one point valued at $4.5 billion for her 50% stake — has fallen to a fraction of that. The last valuation by Forbes placed the company’s net worth at $800 million.

He is repped by WME and Mosaic; Lawrence is with CAA and attorney Steve Warren. WME led the charge on the auction, with Messick in the mix as producer.

http://deadline.com/2016/06/jennifer...es-1201777992/

Well, now that's settled. Let's see how long it takes to get it made.