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David Chase is making a return to the small screen. The Sopranos visionary will write Project MKUltra, a limited series focusing on the Central Intelligence Agency's secret Cold War period mind control program for HBO.

About the Series

The project, initially revealed by entertainment insiders, marks David Chase's first series since the era-defining HBO crime series. The dramatic thriller, inspired by John Lisle's book Project Mind Control, zeroes in on the notorious scientist, referred to as the “black sorcerer” who led the MKUltra initiative, the CIA's clandestine psychedelic program that administered psychedelic substances, hypnotic techniques, and physical coercion on willing and unwilling subjects from the early 1950s until it was halted in 1973.

The Experiments

The scientist oversaw such experiments in the interest of national security, to combat the alleged danger of Russian and Chinese “brainwashing” techniques. He is also regarded as the inadvertent father of the LSD counterculture, as he introduced the substance to the CIA in the mid-20th century, in an attempt to explore the possibilities of controlling the human mind. Some test subjects were willing individuals from the CIA, armed forces personnel and university attendees who had knowledge of the nature of the experiments. Others, however, were mental patients, prisoners, drug addicts, and prostitutes forced or deceived into drug dosages that in certain instances left long-term harm.

Creator's Background

David Chase earned multiple Emmy Awards for his hit series, a intricate narrative about a New Jersey crime syndicate broadly acknowledged with starting the peak era of “prestige” television. Since the show, featuring the late James Gandolfini, wrapped in 2007, Chase has mostly focused on feature films. He authored, helmed, and produced the 2012 movie "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 sophisticated television series in part shaped by the Sopranos to be a "temporary phase" that is now over. In an interview with a leading newspaper for the show’s 25th anniversary, the 78-year-old claimed that he had been told to “dumb down” his scripts in discussions with executives and advised against producing TV content that was overly intricate.

He linked that view in part to his experience trying to make a series with the screenwriter Hannah Fidell about a high-end sex worker who ends up in federal protection. In numerous meetings with executives, he noted, they were informed "the harsh reality" that it was not straightforward enough. "What audience is this targeting?" he remarked. "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.”