Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan to create TV show about Jim Jones

‘Breaking Bad’ creator Vince Gilligan has announced he will create a new TV series about cult leader Jim Jones.

The 49-year-old creator of the hit drama series also oversaw the production of the ‘Breaking Bad’ spin-off show ‘Better Call Saul’, and his new venture will mark only the second show he has been at the helm of that doesn’t call upon the franchise.

Previously, Vince worked on a police comedy called ‘Battle Creek’, which lasted for one series in 2015 before it was cancelled by broadcaster CBS.

‘Raven’ focuses on the life of Jim Jones, the leader of the Peoples Temple cult which murdered Democrat congressman Leo Ryan in 1978. Following the murder, 918 of the cult’s members were involved in a mass suicide which saw 300 children killed by cyanide poisoning. Jim, 47, was also killed in the event by a gunshot wound to the head that is thought to be a suicide.

There will be three additional executive producers working on ‘Raven’, including Tim Reiterman who wrote a book ‘Raven: The Untold Story of Jim Jones and His People’ which documented the story of the Peoples Temple, and which the television show will be based on.

Former ‘Breaking Bad’ producer Michelle MacLaren and ‘The Help’ actress Octavia Spencer will complete the executive producer line up.

HBO have bought the rights to broadcast the show, and the series marks the second drama taking on the Peoples Temple in the works. It follows the news that Jake Gyllenhall is developing an anthology drama series that explores different cult leaders, with series one focusing on Jim Jones.