Downton Duo Returns: Lily James & Dan Stevens Headline Swiped on Hulu
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Last Updated on August 18, 2025 by Stefanie Hutson
Swiped brings a modern tech story to the screen with a distinctly British center of gravity. Headlined by Lily James and Dan Stevens, the film charts the creation of a women-first dating platform and the drive behind its founder, offering a character study as much as a business thriller. Hulu has released the trailer, with the feature set to stream in the U.S. this September.
What Is Swiped About?
Inspired by the real-life rise of Bumble and its founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, Swiped follows a recent college graduate with a sharp idea and even sharper instincts as she pushes into a male-dominated corner of the tech industry. The film traces the early brainstorming, the awkward pitches, and the strategic choices that separate a nice concept from a product millions will actually use. It also keeps an eye on the personal cost of momentum: partners and competitors who do not share the same vision, the scrutiny that comes with success, and the pressure that builds when a platform’s ethos becomes part of the brand’s identity.
Rather than offering a boardroom montage, the story spends time on product decisions, funding hurdles, and the messy work of building a team that believes in the same goal. It follows the founder as she learns to navigate legal advice, investor expectations, and a growing user base, while the narrative returns to a simple question: what does it take, practically and personally, to get from an idea on paper to an app used around the world?
British Talent Front and Center
Lily James anchors the film as Whitney Wolfe, bringing the mix of optimism and grit that powered her through early-stage chaos and rapid scale. James will be familiar to many readers from Downton Abbey, The Pursuit of Love, and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and she also serves as one of the film’s producers — a neat parallel to the on-screen story of a woman steering the project she believes in.
Dan Stevens co-stars in a key supporting role, reuniting two British leads whose careers have bridged prestige television and international features. Stevens is known for Downton Abbey, Legion, and Beauty and the Beast, and here he plays an executive whose decisions shape the path our founder must navigate. Their scenes together give the film much of its tension, pitching product vision against risk management and growth targets.
The Wider Ensemble
The supporting cast includes Myha’la (Industry) as a sharp operator with a nose for weak points, Jackson White (Tell Me Lies), Ben Schnetzer (Pride, The Gold), Pierson Fodé (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Clea DuVall (Veep, But I’m a Cheerleader). You will also spot Pedro Correa, Ian Colletti, and Coral Peña, with Dan Stevens’ role noted above. The ensemble gives the film its moving parts: co-founders and early hires, potential investors, lawyers, and rivals whose interests do not always align.
Who Made It
Swiped is directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and written by Bill Parker, Rachel Lee Goldenberg, and Kim Caramele. Jennifer Gibgot and Andrew Panay produce alongside Lily James. The film’s framing — inspired by public reporting and the widely known arc of Bumble’s growth — keeps terminology and timelines accessible, focusing on the decisions that define a company and the values that survive scale.
Trailer and U.S. Release
Swiped streams on Hulu, and on Hulu on Disney+, beginning September 19.
