Bill Hader developing series based on Jonestown massacre of 1970s

Los Angeles: American actor Bill Hader is developing a series based on cult leader Jim Jones and the infamous Jonestown massacre in the 1970s. The ‘Barry’ star is collaborating with screenwriter Daniel Zelman for the show, which hails from the American premium cable network HBO.

Hader is also set to direct and could star in the project as well, if it is given a go-ahead by the network, according to entertainment news outlet ‘Variety’.

Jones was the founder and leader of the ‘Peoples Temple’, a religious group established in Indianapolis in 1955. He was responsible for the mass suicide at the Jonestown settlement in November 1978, which claimed the lives of more than 900 people, including 304 children. Alongside his inner circle, Jones orchestrated the tragedy at the remote jungle commune in Guyana, where followers were directed to consume a cyanide-laced drink.

The Jonestown massacre remains one of the deadliest tragedies involving civilians in American history, drawing sustained media attention and public scrutiny ever since. Multiple books and documentaries have been released. Actor Powers Boothe played the cult leader in the two-part CBS miniseries ‘Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones’ in 1980.

‘Breaking Bad’ creator Vince Gilligan was also developing a Jonestown series at HBO beginning in 2016, but the project didn’t move forward.