The Studio, Apple TV+’s new series that we’re already calling one of the best of the year, kicks off with talk of a fictional Martin Scorsese-penned script about Jonestown (which is eventually titled Kool Aid for reasons of ill-advised corporate synergy). In the show, Steve Buscemi is tapped to star as Jim before Seth Rogen’s character kills the project. Well, it seems like Bill Hader had a pretty damn similar idea.
According to Variety, Hader is currently developing a Jonestown series for HBO. He is reportedly set to co-write the project with Daniel Zelman and may claim the show’s starring role as well. Both Hader and Zelman will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers, with Hader helming directing duties if the series is picked up.
And, no, neither Scorsese nor Buscemi is involved as far as we know.
This isn’t the first time HBO has had a Jonestown-focused project in development. Back in 2016, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan reportedly pitched a series about the infamous events alongside Michelle MacLaren.
Related Video
It’s also not the first time that HBO and Hader have crossed paths, as the latter previously co-created and starred in the acclaimed series Barry. For his work on that show, Hader received 16 Emmy nominations, winning two of them.
The story of Jonestown (also known as the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project) is one of the most widely known instances of cult figures and mass murder in recent history. After founding the Peoples Temple in the 1950s, Jim Jones and his over 900 followers died in a mass murder-suicide. The incident is what led to the common phrase, “Drank the Kool-Aid.”
Revisit our review of the Barry series finale here, then see where it landed on our roundup of the best shows of 2023.
Content shared from consequence.net.