It’s now almost three years since “Breaking Bad” ended, and it’s perhaps fair to say that its creator, Vince Gilligan has mostly stayed within his wheelhouse. Since ending the show that made him famous, Gilligan’s only projects have been ‘Bad’ spin-off “Better Call Saul” (which is, we should emphasize, excellent), and the short-lived cop drama “Battle Creek,” which was based on a script he wrote a decade earlier.
But now, finally, news has arrived of a brand new project for Gilligan, and it’s pretty damn exciting. Deadline report that Gilligan will write and exec produce “Raven,” an HBO limited series telling the story of Jim Jones, the cult leader whose Peoples Temple group committed mass suicide in Guyana in 1978, after killing Congressman Leo Ryan.
The project teams Gilligan with Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer, who optioned Tim Reiterman’s book “Raven: The Untold Story Of Jim Jones And His People” four years ago, though it’s unclear if she’ll take a role in the series at this point. And Gilligan’s bringing along an old friend, too: Michelle MacLaren, who helmed many of the most acclaimed episodes of “Breaking Bad,” will direct.
It’s a great bit of material that, while it’s inspired plenty of movies (including Ti West’s recent found-footage pic “The Sacrament”) hasn’t been brought to the screen in as high-profile manner as this, and we imagine big stars will be champing at the bit to play Jones and other roles here. There’s no timeline on the project yet, but expect this to be a serious priority for HBO after a few recent disappointments.