HBO has struck a development deal for "Imposter," a debut drama spec script by Kalos Chu, a feature development assistant at DreamWorks Animation, after a bidding war that saw the project draw ten initial offers before narrowing to a three-way contest between HBO, Netflix and Amazon. The deal marks a rare breakthrough for an unrepresented, first-time writer and includes an option to move forward to a writers' room. Penguin creator Lauren LeFranc will executive produce through her HBO-based banner, Acid and Tender Productions.

Imposter is described as a dark mystery centred on an outsider starting his freshman year at an elite university. Chu, a 2023 Harvard English graduate, spent several years building experience through development and production internships at companies including Atlas Entertainment, Nickelodeon Animation and Lucasfilm before joining DreamWorks Animation two years ago, where he wrote the spec in his spare time. He is now leaving that role, helping recruit his own replacement, and does not yet have an agent, though representation is expected to follow soon.