Hulu lands untitled “WeWork” documentary chronicling the meteoric rise and fall of WeWork and the shared workspace company’s founder and former CEO Adam Neumann.
Academy Award-nominee Jed Rothstein (2017’s The China Hustle, Netflix’s The Innocence Files) will direct the documentary based on Forbes’ comprehensive reporting of WeWork’s bizarre descent from revered unicorn company and Wall Street darling to one of the most controversial tech startups in existence.
“It’s been fascinating to follow Forbes’ coverage of WeWork’s dazzling start as the poster startup of the Unicorn Era to its dizzying descent to one of the most controversial tech startups in history,” said Belisa Balaban, VP Documentaries, Hulu. “By bringing this captivating story and expert reporting to life, Hulu continues to elevate powerful and relevant stories about the human experience and expand its slate of original documentaries including award-winning Fyre Fraud, Minding The Gap, Ask Dr. Ruth and Hillary.”
“I came to this story thinking it was all about finance. But I learned it was really about community–those that build it and those that betray it. Being able to dive into this story with Campfire, Olive Hill, Forbes and Hulu has allowed us to explore all of its dimensions,” said Jed Rothstein.
The documentary, which also marks Forbes Entertainment’s first foray into feature film, will unravel how Neumann led WeWork to its peak valuation of $47 billion, and the ensuing tumultuous series of events – allegations of financial self-dealings and erratic behavior – that led to the implosion of the company’s IPO and Neumann stepping down as CEO.
Production on the untitled “WeWork” Hulu Original documentary is close to being complete, and is slated to debut in 2021 on Hulu.