Adapting hit podcasts for the small screen is an exciting new trend in the entertainment world. 

Take Amazon Prime Video’s Homecoming series, starring Julia Roberts and Janelle Monáe, which is based on Gimlet Media’s psychological thriller podcast. Then there’s HBO’s 2 Dope Queens, a series of TV specials featuring comedy podcast hosts Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson, who explore issues of sex, gender, and race.

Netflix’s Dirty John, a true-crime anthology series that explores the theme of love gone wrong, is another example, as it is actually based on a Wondery podcast series.

And now, WeCrashed – the new Apple TV+ screen adaptation of another hit Wondery podcast – has just released its official trailer.

In the dramatic clip, we see Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto as the disgraced couple behind WeWork who hatch a dream to build a company offering revolutionary workspaces in the US. Leto, who stars as brash founder Adam Neumann, can be seen conceptualising his kooky start-up, declaring that “the future of work looks different”.  His adoring wife, Rebekah Neumann (Hathaway), is there every step of the way, hyping up her husband as a “supernova”.

The trailer also shows Rebekah begin to long for power as the company grows. In one hilarious scene, she tells a reporter that she wants to be in the pages of Vanity Fair, and soon enough, she appoints herself the title of chief branding officer. Take a look:

Tensions soon begin to bubble, though, as huge financial losses rack up and Adam and Rebekah’s power struggles puts their relationship under pressure. We also see Adam’s behaviour grow increasingly unhinged, and in one scene, he shouts: “I’m a golden goose laying golden eggs!”

The overarching question, as the trailer makes clear, is does talent topple insanity?

Last month, Apple TV+ gave viewers a first glimpse at Hathaway and Leto taking on the corporate world in the first teaser. It’s safe to say, though, that neither exhibit any feelings related to shame in this trailer. Instead, big god complexes dominate and in the somewhat hilarious opening scene, Leto as Neumann even proclaims: “Let there be light”.

“WeWork’s role is to elevate the world’s consciousness,” Hathaway says to an excited WeWork conference crowd. Coming off of the stage like a popstar, getting helicopter rides and living “the dream” in their private jet, the couple ooze modern glamour. As we get a look at the co-working spaces that propelled their lives, Kyle Marvin (who plays WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey) asks Adam: “You know you’re not God, right?”

We’re sure this question – and many, many others – will form the basis of the entertainment and disbelief we can expect in this new series.

Watch the trailer here:

So, what is the new Apple TV+ series based on? Well, WeCrashed is the 2020 podcast series about the rise and fall of international co-working space company WeWork.

Wondery’s description reads: “The founders of WeWork thought they were on the brink of making history. The company was valued at 47 billion dollars, it was ready for a huge IPO, and its charismatic CEO Adam Neumann thought it was going to change the world. 

“Adam had a prophet-like vision for WeWork that he sold to some of the world’s savviest investors — but did his vision ever match the company’s reality?

“It’s a story of hope and hubris, big money and bigger screwups, and the lengths people will go to chase ‘unicorns.’.”

Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto – both Oscar winners – are leading the cast and will also co-executive produce the eight-part series. The two will star as WeWork founder Neumann and his wife Rebekah in what we’re sure will be a rollercoaster of a drama.

The synopsis reads: “Inspired by actual events – and the love story at the centre of it all. WeWork grew from a single co-working space into a global brand worth $47 billion in under a decade. Then, in just 14 days, it lost $40 billion. What happened?” 

Lee Eisenberg (Apple’s Little America) and Drew Crevello (The Long Dark) will create the show, while This Is Us duo John Requa and Glenn Ficarra will direct and executive produce.

Basically, we reckon this is going to be well worth the watch, so we cannot wait for its release on 18 March.

In the meantime, you can catch up with the WeCrashed podcast series to hear the real tale unfold over on the Wondery website.

The first three episodes of WeCrashed will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on 18 March, with new episodes released weekly every Friday thereafter.

Images: Apple TV+