Lily Jamesis set to star inSwiped, an intriguing new biopic from Hulu, which will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and has just released its first trailer. Swipedis a biopic about American entrepreneur Whitney Wolfe Herd (James), founder and former CEO of Bumble, as well as co-founder of Tinder.
Whitney Wolfe Herd (who is referred to as Whitney Wolfe in the trailer, as the narrative predates her marriage) is credited with vital branding and marketing decisions behind Tinder, but resigned in 2014, and shortly thereafter filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company. According to the trailer, Tinder executives also did not take inappropriate behavior on the app itself seriously.
Wolfe Herd launched the more female-driven dating app Bumble the same year.Swipedalso stars James' formerDownton Abbeyco-star Dan Stevens, among many others, such asVeepandThe Handmaid’s Tale’s Clea DuVall.The new trailer forSwipedshowcases some of the conflicts that led the protagonist to leave Tinderand create her rival app. Check out the trailer forSwipedbelow:
What Swiped Means For Lily James & Hulu
Lily James is a versatile starwith an impressive portfolio. While she is best known for titles such asDownton Abbey, Cinderella, andBaby Driver, she also starred in the musicalMamma Mia! Here We Go Again, sports dramaThe Iron Claw, and period pieceFinally Dawn. In addition toSwiped,she has thethrillerRelaycoming upand several other projects in various stages of development.
YetSwipedis still a fresh opportunity for James to showcase serious dramatic acting talentin this depiction of the business of dating apps and Wolfe Herd taking a stand against its toxicity. Meanwhile,Hulu, which is about to merge with Disney+, hasn’t really established itself as a producer of prestige films like other streaming giants, but debuting at TIFF is a good sign for this project.
Our Take On The Swiped Trailer
Lily James has been a notable talent in the industry for over a decade now, makingSwipedsomething to look out for. Additionally, this drama delving into the founding of a social media platform(s) reminds me ofThe Social Network, butSwipedcan stand on its own as it is specifically about dating apps,and the story will be retold from a woman’s perspective.
This trailer comes shortly after new information aboutThe Social Network: Part II, demonstrating Hollywood’s continued interest in adapting these stories, seeing their potential. Both the nextSocial NetworkandLily James’Swipedare likely to explore themes of ambition and ingenuity, but are also expected to tell important stories about the resulting abuse behind the scenes.
