Jake Gyllenhaal developing anthology show about cults, first season will focus on Jim Jones

Jake Gyllenhaal is developing a new anthology series about American cults for A&E.

Gyllenhaal will serve as executive producer on the series, which comes from his production company Nine Stories Productions. The first season of the anthology will tell the story of Jim Jones, leader of The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ cult, known for its mass suicide in Jonestown in 1978.

“Jim Jones is a complex character — one who has found his way into the collective unconscious," Gyllenhaal said in a statement. "We want to focus on the undeniable magnatism of zealots and the danger of that kind of charisma. A notion not only pertinent to cult leaders but to the geo-political climate of today.”

The Jonestown Massacre left over 900 people dead, including U.S. congressman Leo Ryan. Jim Jones' story has been the subject of multiple documentaries, but it has not yet been dramatized.

This currently untitled series will be Gyllenhaal's first time producing a TV show. He has previously produced several movies that he has also starred in, such as End of Watch and Nightcrawler. His latest project is Okja, a new monster movie from Bong Joon-ho.

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