Long before technology and surveillance became part of everyday life, there were secrets hidden behind locked government doors with experiments so strange they sounded like fiction. That is the world The Sopranos creator David Chase is stepping into next, with a new thriller inspired by one of history’s most mysterious CIA programs: Project MKUltra. Known for his sharp storytelling and deep dives into human behavior, Chase is now exploring the darker corners of power and control.

His upcoming effort promises a gripping look at one person in particular, caught in a web of secrecy, ambition, and the search for absolute dominance over the mind.

Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, the shady chemist behind the CIA’s Project MKUltra, devoted years to uncovering how drugs and psychological manipulation could control human behavior. Operating under government orders, he authorized disturbing experiments using LSD, hypnosis, and electroshock on both willing and unwilling subjects in the name of national security. He is the one set to be explored in David Chase’s Project: MkUltra, according to Deadline.

Outwardly, Gottlieb was a quiet man who practiced meditation, embraced environmentalism, and lived simply. Yet behind this calm façade lay a mind obsessed with pushing ethical boundaries, a contradiction that makes him one of history’s most chilling scientific figures. 

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Set to arrive on the same network as The Sopranos, the project has larger plot twists in the vault for viewers, though.

David Chase’s upcoming HBO series Project: MKUltra is based on John Lisle’s non-fiction book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKUltra. Set during the height of the Cold War, it centers on Sidney Gottlieb, also known as The Black Sorcerer, who led the CIA’s MKUltra psychedelic program. The project aimed to counter Soviet and Chinese “brainwashing” advances, per Deadline. Gottlieb is also considered the father of the LSD counterculture. All of this and more is expected to come to life on screen in Chase's take on the entity.

David Chase’s Project: MKUltra is being produced by his company Riverain Pictures, with Nicole Lambert as Head of Production and Development, and both serving as executive producers. The limited series marks Chase’s first series since The Sopranos. Details on the cast remain under wraps, and a release date has not been announced, keeping the title in the early stages of development as of this writing.

With Project: MKUltra, David Chase's long-awaited return to HBO is coming to fruition. As excitement grows for the offering, The Sopranos still remains in the spotlight, with the Emmys recently honoring one of the show’s late stars in its In Memoriam segment, reminding viewers of the lasting impact of the show and its cast. Chase’s new project, meanwhile, promises to be more than a thriller; it looks poised to be one of the most worthwhile book-to-screen adaptations of recent times, diving deep into the human mind and a reminder of why his stories continue to resonate.

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Are you excited about Project: MKUltra? Let us know in the comments.