Television creator David Chase is simultaneously developing two projects centred on LSD and mind-control experimentation. One is an independent feature film he will write and direct—his first directorial effort since 2012—following a college radio DJ with emphasis on music. The second is an HBO series based on a historical account of Sidney Gottlieb, the chemist and CIA spymaster who oversaw MKUltra, a Cold War programme that conducted mind-control experiments using LSD on both willing and unwilling subjects.

During an industry talk at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Chase reflected on the irony that LSD, originally developed as a potential weapon by the CIA, ultimately transformed into a cultural phenomenon and spiritual practice. He also expressed concerns about creative freedom in the United States, stating he worries about potential future restrictions on artistic expression under the current administration, though he distinguished between online conspiracy theories and institutional constraints on what creators are permitted to produce.