'Breaking Bad' Creator to Team with HBO for 'Raven'

"Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan has been tapped by HBO to develop a new drama series for the network. Titled "Raven," the said show will center on cult-leader Jim Jones and the events that led to the infamous 1978 mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana.

According to a report by Deadline, Gilligan will be teaming up with Michelle Mclaren, who once directed episodes for both "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones." She will be manning the script for the show's pilot, with assistance from actress Octavia Spencer, who secured the rights to Tim Reiterman's "Raven: The Untold Story of Jim Jones and His People," a non-fictional novel based on the tragic event. Spencer will also serve as an executive producer for "Raven."

"Raven," published in 1982, takes into account the events of the entire Jonestown Massacre, which saw Congressman Leo Ryan's assassination at the hands of Jim Jones' cult followers after an ill-fated ambush, which left the author as one of the survivors. Jones then went on, and goaded 900 of his followers into suicide.

Prior to the project, Gilligan has sink his teeth into developing "Breaking Bad" spin-off "Better Call Saul," as well as the cop comedy "Battle Creek." However, unlike his two previous outings, "Creek" didn't perform well, prompting NBC to cancel the show after 13 episodes.

It was also revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal will be producing a different anthology series based on the same event, with Season 1 focusing on Jim Jones' life.

No date was given regarding the show's premiere, but it is expected to air in 2017.