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David Chase is making a comeback to television. The Sopranos creator will write Project MKUltra, a mini-series focusing on the Central Intelligence Agency's secret cold war-era mind control program for the premium network.

Exploring the Project

This new venture, first reported by industry sources, will be David Chase's initial TV project since the era-defining HBO mob drama. The dramatic thriller, based on John Lisle's non-fiction work Project Mind Control, zeroes in on the notorious scientist, referred to as the "dark magician" who oversaw Project MKUltra, the CIA's covert psychedelic program that administered hallucinogenic drugs, hypnotic techniques, and physical coercion on willing and unwilling subjects from the early 1950s until it was terminated in 1973.

The Experiments

Gottlieb oversaw these tests in the interest of national security, to combat the alleged danger of Soviet and Chinese “brainwashing” techniques. He is also regarded as the accidental pioneer of the psychedelic movement, as he introduced the substance to the CIA in the 1950s, in an effort to explore the possibilities of controlling human consciousness. Certain participants were willing individuals from the CIA, military officers and university attendees who had knowledge of the purpose of the studies. Additional subjects, on the other hand, were mental patients, incarcerated persons, substance abusers, and sex workers forced or misled into drug dosages that in some cases left long-term harm.

Creator's Background

Chase won multiple Emmy Awards for his hit series, a intricate narrative about a New Jersey mafia family widely credited with ushering in the peak era of “prestige” television. Since the show, featuring the deceased James Gandolfini, wrapped in 2007, the creator has primarily concentrated on feature films. He wrote, directed and produced the 2012 film "Not Fade Away". Additionally, he collaborated on "The Many Saints of Newark", a Sopranos prequel featuring Michael Gandolfini, that premiered in 2021.

TV Comeback

This comeback to television comes after he stated the period of ambitious television series in part defined by the Sopranos to be a "temporary phase" that is now finished. In an interview with a leading newspaper for the series' quarter-century milestone, the septuagenarian asserted that he had been instructed to "simplify" his scripts in meetings with studio heads and advised against producing television that was overly intricate.

He linked that view in part to his encounter attempting to develop a show with the screenwriter Hannah Fidell about a high-end sex worker who finds herself in witness protection. In numerous meetings with producers, he said, they were told “the unfortunate truth” that it was too complex. “Who is this all really for?” he said. "Presumably, the investors?"

"It appears we are disoriented, and viewers struggle to concentrate, hence we cannot create content that is overly logical, engaging, and demands focus from the audience," he continued. “And as for streaming executives? It is getting worse. We’re going back to where we were.”