A limited series exploring Peoples Temple is currently in development at HBO , with Bill Hader and Daniel Zelman, serving as co-writers and co-showrunners. Hader also will direct and have a starring role if the project moves forward.
At the moment, Hader and Zelman are speaking with Rebecca Moore and Fielding McGehee at the Jonestown Institute about the project’s key elements to help establish the integrity and authenticity of the material. The producers have also contacted a number of Peoples Temple survivors for their perspectives.
Hader previously co-created and starred in the HBO series “Barry” for four seasons, with the show wrapping up its run in 2023. He received 16 total Emmy nominations for his work on the show, including sharing in its four nods for best comedy series. Hader himself won two Emmys for best actor in a comedy for the show in 2018 and 2019. He is also known for his time as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” as well as for shows like “South Park” and for films like “IT: Chapter Two,” “The Skeleton Twins,” “Inside Out,” and “Trainwreck.”
Zelman previously co-created the hit FX series “Damages” with Glenn and Todd A. Kessler. The show ran for five seasons and earned 20 Emmy nominations with four wins. Zelman and the Kesslers later collaborated on the Netflix series “Bloodline,” which ran for three seasons and won Ben Mendelsohn the Emmy for best supporting actor in a drama in 2016. Zelman was also an executive producer on the “Game of Thrones” prequel pilot about The Long Night at HBO and served as a consulting producer on “Succession.”