‘The Sopranos’ Creator Sets First Series at HBO Since Groundbreaking Mafia Classic
David Chase is back at HBO. The renowned creator behind the watershed mafia hit The Sopranos has just set his first series with the cable network he helped put on the map since the Emmy juggernaut cut to black in 2007. Titled Project: MKUltra, the tense thriller will be based on author John Lisle‘s novel Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKUltra, chronicling a dark period in the CIA’s history and the man at the center of it. It’s set as a limited series, which Chase will write under a first-look deal with his Riverain Pictures banner.
Project: MKUltra will follow Sidney Gottlieb, an infamous chemist and spymaster at the helm of the CIA’s MKUltra Psychedelic program. Taking place between 1953 and 1964, the operation was meant to research mind control using psychedelic drugs, hypnosis, electroshock therapy, and more methods on test subjects who were often unaware they were taking part in a covert test. It was conceived at the height of Cold War paranoia in an attempt to get ahead of perceived Chinese and Soviet “brainwashing,” but MKUltra has since been recognized for its inhumanity toward its subjects, despite CIA attempts to destroy records associated with it. For his actions, Gottlieb would become known as “The Black Sorcerer” and would unwittingly spark the LSD counterculture through his use of the drug in the torturous experiments.
In addition to writing, Chase will be joined as an executive producer on the series by his Riverrain Pictures colleague Nicole Lambert. Lambert also produced the 2021 Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark, which Chase co-wrote. Little else is known about Project: MKUltra at this time, but it’s sure to garner plenty of attention given its creator’s reputation. The Sopranos is largely credited for establishing the modern idea of “prestige television,” paving the way for more complex series with morally ambiguous heroes, like Breaking Bad, The Shield, Six Feet Under, and even more recent programs like Severance that share its cinematic DNA. Not only was it showered with praise and 21 Emmys during its run, but it remains on many people’s short list for greatest television show ever made, with its late, great star James Gandolfini sharing much of the credit for its success.
What Has David Chase Done Since ‘The Sopranos’?
Chase has largely remained on the sidelines since wrapping up his masterpiece. He only has two writing credits to his name after The Sopranos — the aforementioned Many Saints of Newark and his feature directorial debut, Not Fade Away, from 2012. He also has an indie horror movie set to begin shooting sometime next year. Despite his relative inactivity, Project: MKUltra will benefit from his years of experience beyond the life and times of Tony Soprano. It’ll actually be Chase’s third series, with the creator first helming the 1988 drama Almost Grown with his Many Saints co-writerLawrence Konner. He’s also known as a longtime producer and writer aboard The Rockford Files, Northern Exposure, and I’ll Fly Away.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Project: MKUltra as Chase gets back to work at HBO.
