Felicity Huffman & Lori Loughlin-Inspired 'College Admissions Scandal' Movie Gets First Trailer (Exclusive)
Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin's stories have inspired Lifetime's upcoming movie, The College Admissions Scandal -- and ET is exclusively debuting the trailer.
The film, set to air next month, stars Penelope Ann Miller and Mia Kirshner in roles inspired by Huffman and Loughlin's involvement in the massive college admissions bribery scam, uncovered by authorities earlier this year. Like Huffman, Miller's character pays up to alter her child's SAT scores -- though her name (Caroline) and other details of the story have been altered. The Desperate Housewives star pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and honest services mail fraud after she was accused of paying $15,000 to help get her eldest daughter into an elite college by cheating on the SAT.
And like Loughlin, Kirshner's character, Bethany, is a wealthy mom accused of paying half a million dollars to get her daughter onto a prestigious university's athletic team. Loughlin, along with her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, is accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits for the crew team, even though neither of them participated in the sport. They have pleaded not guilty on all charges.
According to Lifetime, the film will follow "the story of over 50 wealthy and elite families that tried to cheat the college admissions system," with Miller and Kirshner playing just two of those parents.
"When charismatic college admissions consultant Rick Singer (Michael Shanks) offers a side door into the prestigious institutions of their dreams, Caroline and Bethany willingly partake with visions of coveted acceptance letters in their heads," the network teased, referencing the alleged real-life mastermind of the scandal. "But when Singer cooperates with the FBI and pleads guilty, the mothers who risked everything for their kids must face the consequences of their crimes and the loss of trust and respect from their families."
Watch the trailer in the video player above.
ET was exclusively on set with the cast earlier this summer, where Kirshner praised the "smart script and dialogue."
"I've never actually done something that's playing out in real time, so I'm watching what's happening. Before I was cast in the film, I was completely absorbed by what had happened," she said.
"This story is about privilege and corruption and it's about people who don't follow the rules because they think they're above rules," Kirshner continued. "I think it's a story about capitalism and greed, so it was fascinating how this played out and their conscience around it."
While the subject matter is serious, Kirshner was happy that the script offered some dimension to the story. "My character is so corrupt, greedy, narcissistic, self-centered and the dialogue is hilarious. So I'm glad that they're able to capture humor about this as well," she shared.
The College Admissions Scandal premieres Oct. 12 on Lifetime.
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