What is the "Project: MKUltra" that David Chase is adapting?

Project: MKUltra was a covert CIA program in the 1950s and 60s that conducted dangerous mind control experiments, including the use of psychedelic drugs and torture, on unwitting subjects.

Who was Sidney Gottlieb, the central figure in Chase's new series?

Sidney Gottlieb was the chemist and spymaster who headed the CIA's MKUltra Psychedelic program, earning him the nickname "The Black Sorcerer" for his role in the controversial experiments.

How does David Chase's new project connect to his acclaimed work on The Sopranos?

After wrapping up his groundbreaking HBO mob drama The Sopranos in 2007, this new series will mark Chase's first major television project since, exploring the dark underbelly of government secrets and mind control.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Sopranos Creator David Chase to Adapt Chilling CIA Mind Control Saga

Sopranos Creator David Chase to Adapt Chilling CIA Mind Control Saga

22 Oct

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Summary

David Chase's first series since The Sopranos
Based on book about CIA's MKUltra program
Focuses on chemist Sidney Gottlieb, the "Black Sorcerer"

Sopranos Creator David Chase to Adapt Chilling CIA Mind Control Saga

In a major television development, acclaimed Sopranos creator David Chase is set to adapt a dramatic thriller based on the CIA's infamous MKUltra mind control program. The project, which will mark Chase's first series since his groundbreaking HBO mob drama, is based on the non-fiction book "Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKUltra" by author John Lisle.

Chase has optioned the book and will write the adaptation, which falls under the first-look deal his company Riverain Pictures has at HBO. The series, titled "Project: MKUltra," will focus on the life of Sidney Gottlieb, the chemist and spymaster often referred to as the "Black Sorcerer," who headed the CIA's MKUltra Psychedelic program in the 1950s and 60s. The covert operation conducted dangerous and deadly mind control experiments on willing and unwilling subjects during the height of the Cold War, with Gottlieb also known as the unwitting godfather of the entire LSD counterculture.