If Grey's Anatomy [1] and the final season of How to Get Away With Murder [2] don't contain enough drama for you, then prepare yourself for Shonda Rhimes's upcoming onscreen adaptation of the scandal surrounding scam artist Anna Delvey, which has officially been titled Inventing Anna.
The series is inspired by the New York Magazine article "How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People" [3] by Jessica Pressler (who also wrote the article that inspired Hustlers [4], FYI), a wild account of the "Soho Grifter" who's since been sentenced [5] to four to 12 years in prison after conning swanky hotels, banks, and even a private jet company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. As for the show, the fictionalised story will follow an investigative journalist (Veep's Anna Chlumsky) looking into the case of Instagram-famous German heiress Anna Delvey (Ozark's Julia Garner), who befriended many in the upper echelons of NYC's social scene and then stole their money. According to Variety [6], the pair form "a love-hate bond as Anna awaits trial and the reporter fights the clock to answer the biggest question in NYC: who is Anna Delvey?"
Inventing Anna is the first series to come from Rhimes's and Shondaland's massive deal with Netflix [7], which also includes a TV adaptation of the Bridgerton [8] novels. In addition to Chlumsky and Garner — the latter of whom recently beat out all the Game of Thrones actresses at the Emmys [9] — Rhimes and Netflix have unveiled the other stars who have come on board to tell the twisted story of Anna Delvey. Check out the cast list, ahead!
Julia Garner as Anna Delvey
Garner, age 25 [11], has appeared in prestige series like Ozark, Maniac, and The Americans, as well as films like Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. All of this is to say that she definitely has the dramatic chops to dig into the role of Anna and is an interesting choice to anchor the show.
Anna Chlumsky as a Journalist
Chlumsky — who's been nominated for six Emmys during her time on Veep — has joined the project as the magazine journalist who looks into the curious case of Anna Delvey.
Katie Lowes as Rachel
Lowes is a Shondaland favourite thanks to her longtime role as Quinn on Scandal and will be playing a character named Rachel in Inventing Anna. The official description of Rachel notes that she's a "natural born follower" and her "blind worship" of Anna nearly derails her credit score, her job, and her life in general. Apparently "the woman she becomes because of Anna may be Anna's greatest creation," whatever that means!
Laverne Cox as Kacy Duke
You can expect to see the Orange Is the New Black [12] alum playing a character named Kacy Duke, a celebrity trainer and life coach. Like pretty much everyone else, she gets "sucked into the Anna whirlwind" but is "mature and centreed enough to stay out of any real trouble."
Alexis Floyd as Neff
Floyd, who you probably know best from her season three role in The Bold Type, plays Neff, an aspiring filmmaker who works as a concierge who comes in to contact with Anna when she sets up shop at her hotel. Thanks to her street smarts, she's able to suss out that something's up with Anna, even though she finds herself being drawn in by her charm.