Lily James Leads First Trailer for Hulu’s New Dating App Drama ‘Swiped’

Lily James dazzles in the first trailer for Swiped, the biopic of entrepreneur Whitney Wolfe Herd and the creation of dating apps Tinder and Bumble. Announced in 2024, Swiped sees James step into the role of Herd, who, at just 23, was the vice marketing director for Tinder, before eventually leaving in 2014 after filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company. Herd later found Bumble, a dating site meant to compete with Tinder that was described as a “feminist-dating app” designed to be safer for women to use.

Hulu and 20th Century Studios have released the first official trailer for Swiped, which can be seen below. The film stars Lily James as Whitney Wolf Herd and co-stars Dan Stevens (Legion), Myha’la (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Jackson White (Tell Me Lies), Ben Schnetzer (Y: The Last Man), Ana Yi Puig (Goosebumps), Coral Peña (For All Mankind), Pierson Fodé (Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List), Ian Colletti (Preacher), and Mary Neely (Valley Girl). Swiped is directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, best known for her HBO Max Original film Unpregnant. Swiped will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and will arrive on Hulu on September 19, 2025.

Will You Swipe Left or Right on ‘Swiped ‘?

Swiped is the latest in a long line of movies centered on popular products in recent memory. In 2023, Flamin’ Hot explored the origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, while Blackberry tackled the creation of the titular mobile device. Even now, The Social Network is getting a sequel about the current state of Facebook, with original writer Aaron Sorkin stepping in to direct.

Given the subject matter of Tinder and Bumble, two influential apps in the 2010s that changed dating culture forever, Swiped appears to be positioning itself similarly to The Social Network as a film about a tech company and the person behind it. However, Swiped certainly looks to be digging more into the toxic culture around Tinder as a workplace and how it gave rise to Bumble, seen in the film as the safer alternative. It will be interesting to see if Swiped will feature Whitney Wolfe Herd testifying before the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence committee in 2019 about the prevalence of unsolicited explicit photos sent to female users on dating applications.

20th Century Studios is not giving Swiped a theatrical release, instead releasing it straight to Hulu. Despite Disney’s success in sending films originally meant for Disney+ to theaters, such as Lilo & Stitch, Alien: Romulus, and Moana 2, they continue to use Hulu as a platform for smaller films with no IP attachment or potential awards buzz. Notably, these tend to be titles centered on female lead characters, like the underrated comedy Summer of ’69, which dropped on Hulu earlier this year to positive reviews. Even though September 19 will see competition from Universal’s horror film Him and Sony Pictures’ A Big Beautiful Journey, it does feel like Swiped would stand a decent chance at the box office to be a modest hit.