The makers of Netflix’s Fyre Festival documentary have now set their sights on the so-called college admissions scandal.
Chris Smith, the director of Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, and Jon Karmen, an associate producer and editor on that previous film, are now readying to release Operation Varsity Blues on Netflix this March 17.
The film is described as “an examination that goes beyond the celebrity-driven headlines and dives into the methods used by Rick Singer, the man at the center of the shocking 2019 college admissions scandal, to persuade his wealthy clients to cheat an educational system already designed to benefit the privileged,” according to a press release from Netflix. “Using an innovative combination of interviews and narrative recreations of the FBI’s wiretapped conversations between Singer and his clients, Operation Varsity Blues offers a rare glimpse into the enigmatic figure behind a scheme that exposed the lengths wealthy families would go to for admission into elite colleges, and angered a nation already grappling with the effects of widespread inequality.”
The scandal involved more than 50 parents who allegedly bribed their children’s way into prestigious universities. The documentary will feature actor Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket) as Singer, who pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, money laundering, fraud, and obstruction after accepting millions of dollars in bribes. He assisted in an FBI investigation, and many of the parents involved have since pleaded guilty to various charges.
Full House‘s Lori Loughlin and Desperate Housewives‘ Felicity Huffman were the more high-profile parents embroiled in the bombshell revelations.
Loughlin served nearly two months in a federal correctional facility after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of honest services wire and mail fraud. He served a five-month federal prison sentence.
Huffman pleaded guilty to paying a college admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor change her daughter’s answers after she took the SAT. The actress then served 11 days of a 14-day jail sentence. She was also given 250 hours of community service and was on supervised release for one year.
Aside from the new documentary, Lifetime released The College Admissions Scandal movie in 2019. Annapurna is also producing a limited TV series about the scandal.
