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The acclaimed creator is set for a return to the small screen. The iconic mob drama creator is scripting MKUltra, a mini-series centered around the CIA's secret Cold War period mind control program for the premium network.

Exploring the Series

The project, initially revealed by entertainment insiders, will be Chase's first series since the era-defining HBO mob drama. The dramatic thriller, inspired by John Lisle's book "Project Mind Control", zeroes in on the notorious scientist, referred to as the "dark magician" who led Project MKUltra, the CIA's clandestine hallucinogen experiments that tested psychedelic substances, hypnotic techniques, and torture on volunteers and non-consenting individuals from the early 1950s until it was halted in the early 1970s.

Research Activities

The scientist directed such experiments in the interest of national security, to counter the perceived threat of Russian and Chinese “brainwashing” techniques. He's also known as the accidental pioneer of the LSD counterculture, as he introduced the drug to the CIA in the mid-20th century, in an attempt to explore the possibilities of controlling the human mind. Some test subjects were volunteers from the agency, military officers and college students who had knowledge of the nature of the studies. Additional subjects, however, were mental patients, incarcerated persons, substance abusers, and sex workers forced or misled into substance administration that in some cases resulted in long-term harm.

Chase's Legacy

David Chase earned five Emmys for the Sopranos, a intricate narrative about a New Jersey-based mafia family broadly acknowledged with ushering in the golden age of high-quality TV. After the series, starring the late James Gandolfini, wrapped in 2007, the creator has mostly focused on feature films. He wrote, directed and produced the 2012 film "Not Fade Away". He also co-wrote and produced The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to The Sopranos featuring Michael Gandolfini, that debuted in 2021.

Return to Television

His return to TV comes after he declared the era of ambitious TV dramas in some ways defined by the Sopranos to be a “blip” that is now finished. In an interview with a major publication for the show’s 25th anniversary, the 78-year-old claimed that he had been told to "simplify" his screenplays in discussions with studio heads and advised against producing television that was overly intricate.

He attributed that view in partly to his encounter trying to make a show with the screenwriter Hannah Fidell about a luxury escort who finds herself in witness protection. In multiple discussions with executives, he said, they were told "the harsh reality" that it was not straightforward enough. “Who is this all really for?” he said. "Presumably, the investors?"

“We seem to be confused and audiences can’t keep their minds on things, so we can’t make anything that makes too much sense, takes our attention and requires an audience to focus,” he added. “And as for streaming executives? It is getting worse. We’re going back to where we were.”