HBO and “The Sopranos” creator David Chase are back in business together, but what they have in development is a very different kind of limited series.
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Deadline reports that Chase will helm “Project: MKUltra” for the network, his first series for HBO since his legendary mob drama. Based on John Lisle‘s “Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, The CIA, And The Tragedy of MKUltra,” the new show will center on the dangerous mind control experiments conducted by Gottlieb during the Cold War and their cultural ramifications. Chase optioned the book, and will pen the series adaptation as part of his first-look deal between HBO and his Riverain Pictures banner. Chase also executive produces the series with Nicole Lambert via Riverain, where Lambert serves as Head Of Production and Development.
Out of all of spymaster Gottlieb’s pursuits during his time with CIA, MKUltra may be the most notorious. A covert operation conducted in the 1950s and ’60s that sought to surpass Soviet and Chinese “brainwashing” techniques, the program administered psychedelic drugs, hypnosis, and torture to elicit confessions and attempt to control subjects’ minds — often without their knowledge or consent. MKUltra even practiced its techniques on unaware members of the CIA, further causing moral outcry and condemnation when the program was made public after its 1973 termination.
Is Chase tackling MKUltra a surprising choice? Most definitely, but his track record with HBO automatically makes this project highly anticipated. Chase won five of his seven Emmys for “The Sopranos,” including two for Outstanding Drama Series. After “The Sopranos” ended in 2007, Chase focused more on feature films than on TV, with disappointing results. 2012’s “Not Fade Away” received mixed reviews from critics, with 2021’s “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints Of Newark” receiving similar marks.
So when should HBO subscribers expect “Project: MKUltra” to premiere? That remains unclear. Chase, now 80, will likely shoot another film, a horror movie, before the show leaves development, so fans of his may need to wait a few years before this limited series has an official release date.
