David Chase is moving away from the mob to explore life on the other side of the law. The film will be focused on the MKUltra program in the CIA and set in the 1950s. However, it is a seperate project from the previously announced MKUltra limited series Chase is developing for HBO. This story is inspired by a true story that a friend told Chase and centers around a family with connections to the CIA’s psychedelic experiments and polio vaccine. Chase explained, “There’s so much to the whole MKUltra story, so many wild people. I don’t mean people high on LSD — I mean the scientists themselves. It doesn’t stop. I’m trying to pare it down to what the story should be, because every time another book comes out, or another paragraph, I think, ‘Well, that’s got to be in it too!”

It seems this film will take priority over the limited series, as Chase stated that he is still working alone on the series and was looking for a collaborator to help him sift through ideas. The series was announced in October 2025 and is based on the book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKUltra, with the focus being on chemist Sidney Gottlieb.

Not much else is known about the upcoming film, but stay tuned for more updates.