EXCLUSIVE: The docuseries based on The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome podcast is moving a step closer to fruition.
XTR, the non-fiction studio behind Apple’s They Call Me Magic and Oscar-nominated Ascension, has boarded the project, which comes from Project Brazen.
Deadline revealed in January that Project Brazen, which was launched by Pulitzer finalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, were launching the podcast, hosted by Nicky Woolf, who hosted Audible’s Qanon podcast Finding Q.
At the time, Project Brazen was also developing it as a docuseries with PRX and XTR will now co-produce. PRX is no longer involved.
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Havana Syndrome is a medical condition allegedly affecting U.S. diplomats in countries such as Cuba. The series will explore the events that began in December 2016, when a U.S. official in Havana went to the embassy medical center to report a debilitating and confounding illness that included headaches, nausea, hearing loss, and memory and vision problems. By summer 2017, dozens of U.S. and Canadian diplomats reported similar symptoms with most experiencing a buzzing, hissing or grinding sound – what was becoming known as Havana Syndrome.
Theories range from a highly sophisticated classified “directed energy” weapon to a psychogenic outbreak. Are Americans under attack? Or is it all in their heads? The documentary series will feature interviews with many of the victims, as well as officials from the CIA and State Department, lead investigators and scientists, and Cubans on the ground in Havana who have been swept up in this case.
It will be directed by Nicholas Brennan, who was embedded with the podcast team, and exec produced by Wright and Bradley Hope, as well as XTR’s Justin Lacob and Bryn Mooser
Project Brazen was launched by Wright and Hope, who previously worked together at the Wall Street Journal. The company, which is repped by UTA, has produced a number of podcasts including Fat Leonard, the U.S. Navy scandal, which is being adapted for television with Crazy Rich Asians co-writer Peter Chiarelli and SK Global.
“There’s no modern espionage story more thrilling and frightening than Havana Syndrome,” said Project Brazen’s Bradley Hope. “We’ve been working hard to uncover its secrets for more than a year and a half and are excited to create an extraordinary series with XTR.”
“The mystery of Havana Syndrome is one of the most sinister stories of the last decade,” added Justin Lacob, Head of Development for XTR. “We’re so excited to adapt Project Brazen’s incredible podcast into a genre mashup of a spy thriller, medical mystery, and horror documentary series.”