Shonda Rhimes’ latest project with Netflix (and the first series she has created herself since Scandal), Inventing Anna, has been given a Feb. 11 release. Though she’s executive produced Shondaland projects such as Bridgerton and How to Get Away with Murder, she’s behind the pen again for this.
The series, with Rhimes as showrunner, stars Julia Garner and is based on the true story Anna Sorokin, who created the persona “Anna Delvey,” a German heiress and Instagram socialite who conned people out of their money.
According to the official description:
In Inventing Anna, a journalist with a lot to prove investigates the case of Anna Delvey, the Instagram-legendary German heiress who stole the hearts of New York’s social scene – and stole their money as well. But is Anna New York’s biggest con woman, or is she simply the new portrait of the American dream? Anna and the reporter form a dark, funny, love-hate bond as Anna awaits trial and our reporter fights the clock to answer the biggest question in NYC: who is Anna Delvey? The series is inspired by the New York Magazine article “How an Aspiring ‘It’ Girl Tricked New York’s Party People — and its Banks” by Jessica Pressler, who also serves as a producer.
The cast includes Laverne Cox, who plays celebrity trainer and life coach Kacy Duke
As Shadow and Act reported in 2019, “Kacy gets sucked into the Anna whirlwind but is mature and centered enough to stay out of any real trouble. When she least expects it, in the wake of Anna’s crimes, Kacy finds herself becoming a coach to more than just Anna.”
The cast also includes Anna Chlumsky, Arian Moayed, Katie Lowes, Alexis Floyd, Anders Holm, Anna Deavere Smith, Jeff Perry and Terry Kinney.
Rhimes will write the series with Matt Byrne, Jess Brownell, Abby Ajayi and Nick Nardini. Rhimes is also executive producing with Betsy Beers, Tom Verica, and David Frankel. Jessica Pressler, who wrote the New York Magazine article the series is based on, also serves as producer.