Interview: DOPESICK Creator Danny Strong on Why He Wanted to Tell This Story in a Series, Not Film

Hulu’s Dopesick will undoubtedly be a can’t miss series. Set at backdrop of the opioid crisis, the show is based on the book by Beth Macy and created by the same man who gave us Empire, Danny Strong.

I had a chance to take part in the roundtable press day discussion with Danny. He spoke to a group of journalists, including myself about the show and what he wanted to accomplish with it.

REAL TALK:

Danny was great. Seems like a really humble individual. The journalists gave some great question and Danny provided some insightful answers. I asked him about whether there was consideration of having Dopesick as a film instead of a show, to my surprise, Danny said there was initial dialogue about that. He intended it as a mini-series and doesn’t see any more episodes beyond the eight we will get on Hulu.

My second question to Danny was about the recent surge in corrupt corporation movies and shows. Danny mentioned Pharma Bro, an excellent doc that just released. I thought he offered an interesting answer to the question.

Danny mentioned the importance of having Michael Keaton being part of the show. As important as Keaton is, he is surrounded by a terrific ensemble of talented actors. The cast includes Kaitlyn Dever, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosario Dawson and Will Poulter, among others.

Prior to the interview I didn’t know that the writer of the novel, Beth Macy was so involved in the making of the film alongside Danny.

Dopesick is phenomenal. It’s super interesting and tension packed. Cliffhangers that keep you on edge. Phenomenal cast and excellent script. It’s just really well done, with a cinematic look and feel. It’s very bingable (is that even a word?). A definite must-see series.

DOPESICK premieres on Hulu on October 13

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