Sopranos creator David Chase doubles down with a new movie and an HBO series

David Chase – yes, the bloke behind The Sopranos – is properly busy at the moment. Turns out he's got not just one, but two big projects on the boil: an as-yet-untitled film and a connected HBO series, both poking around the strange crossroads of Cold War science and government shenanigans. If you thought Chase had closed the curtain when he wrapped up Tony Soprano, think again.

Back Behind the Camera

The new film will see Chase back in the director's seat for the first time since he made Not Fade Away with the late James Gandolfini back in 2012. This time, he's zeroing in on the 1950s – and it's not your stereotypical diner-and-cadillac nostalgia trip, either.

Here's the gist: the story follows a family tied simultaneously to two wildly different (but equally influential) American ventures of that era – the CIA's experiments with weaponising LSD and the development and rollout of the polio vaccine. Unusual combination, right? Apparently, it's partly inspired by one of Chase's mates and, knowing his work, it's not going to be a fluffy walk down memory lane. Think more secret labs than sock hops.

The HBO Connection: More Weird Science

Alongside the film, Chase is also working on an HBO limited series about MKUltra, the CIA's, let's say, “questionable” mind control programme from back in the day. This one's rooted in the nonfiction book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKUltra by historian John Lisle. Basically, if you ever wondered what happens when actual government scientists get even stranger than the conspiracy theorists, here comes your answer.

The thread tying all this together isn’t just shaggy Cold War anecdotes either. Chase said both projects are being shaped by his own rather colourful past experiences with psychedelics.

'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!"'

If you're wondering where this personal obsession comes from, here's Chase, being typically upfront about it:

'I took LSD when I was younger, and I never forgot it. I'd say it was a life-changing experience, although I couldn't tell you exactly how. This is going to sound stupid, but at age 18 or 19, I just became convinced there were other levels of existence – that this isn't all there is.'

What We Know (So Far)

• Chase is directing a new film about a 1950s family tied to both the CIA's psychedelic experiments and the polio vaccine rollout.
• He's also overseeing an HBO limited series about the real MKUltra programme, based on a recent book by John Lisle.
• Both projects are in the works, but neither has a release date yet.
• The film is inspired by a friend of Chase's, and the broader subject is something he clearly finds incredibly personal.
• This marks Chase's first directorial outing since Not Fade Away in 2012.