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The acclaimed creator is making a comeback to the small screen. The iconic mob drama visionary will write Project MKUltra, a limited series focusing on the Central Intelligence Agency's covert cold war-era mind control program for HBO.

About the Series

The project, initially revealed by industry sources, will be David Chase's first series following the era-defining HBO crime series. This intense narrative, based on John Lisle's non-fiction work Project Mind Control, focuses on the notorious scientist, referred to as the “black sorcerer” who oversaw Project MKUltra, the agency's clandestine psychedelic program that administered hallucinogenic drugs, hypnosis, and physical coercion on volunteers and non-consenting individuals from 1953 until it was halted in 1973.

The Experiments

The scientist directed these tests in the name of national security, to combat the perceived threat of Soviet and Chinese “brainwashing” techniques. He is also regarded as the accidental pioneer of the psychedelic movement, as he brought the substance to the CIA in the 1950s, in an effort to investigate the potential of manipulating human consciousness. Some test subjects were willing individuals from the agency, armed forces personnel and college students who had knowledge of the purpose of the experiments. Additional subjects, on the other hand, were mental patients, incarcerated persons, drug addicts, and prostitutes coerced or deceived into substance administration that in certain instances resulted in long-term harm.

Chase's Legacy

David Chase earned multiple Emmy Awards for the Sopranos, a intricate narrative about a New Jersey-based crime syndicate widely credited with starting the golden age of high-quality TV. After the series, featuring the deceased James Gandolfini, concluded in 2007, Chase has primarily concentrated on feature films. He wrote, directed and produced the 2012 movie "Not Fade Away". Additionally, he collaborated on The Many Saints of Newark, a Sopranos prequel starring Michael Gandolfini, that debuted in 2021.

Return to Television

His return to TV follows he declared the period of ambitious TV dramas in some ways defined by his show to be a “blip” that is now finished. Speaking to a major publication for the series' quarter-century milestone, the 78-year-old claimed that he had been told to "simplify" his scripts in discussions with studio heads and advised against producing TV content that was overly intricate.

Chase linked that perspective in part to his experience attempting to develop a show with the screenwriter Hannah Fidell about a high-end sex worker who finds herself in federal protection. In multiple discussions with producers, he said, they were informed “the unfortunate truth” that it was not straightforward enough. "What audience is this targeting?" he remarked. “I guess the stockholders?”

"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 added. "Regarding streaming leaders? The situation is deteriorating. We are reverting to previous conditions."