The sudden rise and subsequent fall of entrepreneurs—especially those splashed across the cover of the top business magazines—are endlessly fascinating. It’s the meteoric ascent, the sudden billion-dollar valuations, and the baffling business practices that bring it all crumbling down that make us curious to know more. Moreover, these journeys are the subject of explosive exposes detailing how these people managed to con many others, whether to take their money or simply get them to buy into a certain vision. So naturally, it’s ripe for dramatization. This spring alone, we’re looking at a Hulu series about Elizabeth Holmes and one over at Showtime about Uber’s former CEO, Travis Kalanick. Apple TV+ is also stepping into the fare with WeCrashed, and now they’ve shared the first trailer for this dramatic series.
As the name suggests, the series is about WeWork. Specifically the company’s co-founder and former CEO, Adam Neumann. Neumann’s eccentric energy brought WeWork a lot of attention and eventually cost him his job. The WeCrashed trailer details just how WeWork came about and how it all came crashing down for Neumann.
Jared Leto stars as Neumann, while Anne Hathaway plays Rebekah Neumann, his wife and WeWork partner. Their relationship and professional partnership are at the center of the story. And it sounds like the quest for greatness consumed them both, but only one could take center stage. Kyle Marvin also stars as WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey.
Here’s what the show is about:
Inspired by actual events — and the love story at the center of it all. WeWork grew from a single coworking space into a global brand worth $47 billion in under a decade. Then, in less than a year, its valuation dropped $40 billion. What happened?
In 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported extensively about Neumann’s behavior. Notably, he removed $700 million from the company before its initial public offering (IPO), which was one of a few red flags within WeWork. Then, less than a month later, he was out of the company. McKelvey, meanwhile, left of his own volition in June 2020.
Lee Eisenberg and Drew Crevello are showrunners and executive producers. Hathaway, Leto, Emma Ludbrook, Natalie Sandy, Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy, Aaron Hart, and Charlie Gogolak executive produce the series. As do John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, who also direct.
WeCrashed debuts on March 18. While I’m certainly excited to check it out, I am endlessly mourning the missed opportunity to cast Adam Driver as Adam Neumann.