Lily James to star and produce in new film inspired by the life of Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe

Lily James will take on a role inspired by the life of Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe, one of the world’s youngest billionaires.

The 34-year-old English actress, who recently played Pamela Anderson in the biographical series Pam & Tommy, has reportedly signed on to direct the untitled film being developed by 20th Century Studios and Ethea Entertainment, according to reports. Deadline.

While plot details remain under wraps, a source revealed that “the film is inspirational and not based on Wolfe’s life and it is unknown how this film will compare to the actual origin story.”

At this time, casting “is already underway and the film is expected to be released in 2025.”

The Golden Globe nominee will begin filming the project later this year.

In addition to starring in the film, James will produce alongside Jennifer Gibgot and Andrew Panay.

Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg wrote the script along with Bill Parker and Kim Caramele.

Wolfe founded Bumble in 2014 after leaving Tinder, another app he helped found, due to ongoing tensions with executives.

Last year, Wolfe said The times that she felt “isolated” while in the tech world and, later, “gendered” by the headlines surrounding her departure from the company she founded at the age of 25.

‘Women who have achieved things are scrutinized differently. “If you changed the word ‘Whitney’ to ‘John’ in the headlines, I bet you’d think they read strangely,” she said.

During the interview, the mother of two highlighted that, as CEO, her work life was too hectic to worry about every detail of the business.

“I’m absolutely capable of doing it, but each of us has a limited number of hours a day that we can contribute to our work, our family and ourselves.”

“It is very important that we all continually reflect: Are those hours spent to the best of my ability, contributing to my superpowers, or are those hours spent on things that, honestly, are not what I can do best and that can drive the company towards forward?’ he told the newspaper.

Wolfe added that he had been thinking about stepping away for a long time and that he knows CEOs in Silicon Valley who stay in their jobs for too long and for the wrong reasons.

‘In recent years I have brought human life into the world. I have been through health challenges. I also exist outside of Bumble. So it’s right to reevaluate,” the Utah native said.

Wolfe noted that he understood the concerns of those who have been “hurt” by the use of social media and dating apps, saying the latter are full of “hurt people who hurt other people.”

“If you feel demoralized because your social media is toxic, you’re isolated and alone, and you live this voyeuristic lifestyle where you’re looking at everyone on social media all day and you feel like they’re prettier, smarter, better, who have more fun than you, then you’re left in a very empty state,” he continued.

Wolfe said his goal was to raise “the confidence of boys, girls, women and men.”

In November, Wolfe handed the CEO role to experienced business and technology executive Lidiane Jones.

Bumble’s eponymous app stood out in the industry by allowing women to make the first move.

In recent years, Bumble, which counts Friends, Badoo, Fruitz (for Gen Z) and Official in its portfolio of dating services, has faced pressure to grow due to unrest in some markets such as Eastern Europe and competition from its biggest rival Match.

Bumble raised more than $2 billion in its initial public offering in February 2021, riding the momentum in online dating services amid pandemic-driven restrictions on movement.

At the time the Nasdaq bell rang, Bumble surpassed $13 billion in valuation.

However, the share value has fallen four-fifths since then as those tailwinds subsided.

Its stock price was more than $70 per share on opening day, and has since fallen to less than $14.

Wolfe’s departure was the second major executive departure this year at Bumble following the departure of president Tariq Shaukat, who resigned after three years in the role.

“We are increasingly negative on the news, pending further details…we view Whitney’s departure as a short- and medium-term drag on business operations and negative for overall company morale,” the analysts said. from Evercore in a note.

Whitney is married to Michael Herd, a Texas oil and gas heir. They met on a ski trip to Aspen and share two children.

Wolfe has received praise after praise for his work within the technology and dating app space. She was named one of Business Insider’s Top 30 Women Under 30 in Technology in 2014.

And in 2016, she was named one of Elle’s Women in Tech, before receiving recognition as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2017 and 2018.