Rushi Kota (Never Have I Ever) has signed on for a role in Sony and Black Bear’s GameStop film Dumb Money, from director Craig Gillespie. He joins an ensemble that already includes Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Pete Davidson, Shailene Woodley, Anthony Ramos, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dane DeHaan, America Ferrera and Myha’la Herrold. 

The dramedy based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Antisocial Network tells the story of fortunes made and lost overnight in the David vs. Goliath GameStop short squeeze of January 2021, when a loosely affiliated group of amateur investors and internet denizens took down one of the biggest hedge funds on Wall Street, thereby threatening to upend the establishment. 

While unconfirmed, we hear that Kota will play Baiju Bhatt, one of the co-CEOs of the stock trading and investing app Robinhood. Almost always overshadowed by CEO and co-founder Vlad Tenev (Stan), Bhatt doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with his so-called business partner, especially when it comes to the scandal of the GME stock.

The screenplay for Dumb Money was adapted by Rebecca Angelo & Lauren Schuker Blum. Ryder Picture Company’s Aaron Ryder, Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Gillespie are producing, with Michael Heimler, John Friedberg, Andrew Swett, Angelo, Schuker Blum, Mezrich, Johnny Holland, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss and Kevin Ulrich exec producing. Black Bear Pictures is fully financing, with Black Bear International overseeing foreign distribution rights.

Kota is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Vik Roy on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and as Prashant on Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, having previously recurred on NBC’s Ordinary Joe.