If you've had your head in the true crime genre and its cultic offshoot, then you'll no doubt know about The Way Down. The docuseries premiered on HBO Max last September to hungry audiences, dishing out the details around the late cult leader Gwen Shamblin and her sham Christian dieting program, Weigh Down Workshop. When Shamblin died suddenly in a plane crash mid-production, the showrunners added a further two episodes onto what was originally intended as a three-part series.

Now, the story of Gwen Shamblin and her Tennessee-based church, the Remnant Fellowship, will appear on screen once more, this time around as a drama series with Sarah Paulson set to play the notorious Shamblin.

What will the series be about?

The series has been proposed as a dramatic adaptation of HBO Max's The Way Down, so we can expect it to fall in step with a similar plot to that of the docuseries. We know it'll focus on Gwen Shamblin who, for those who are unfamiliar with the cult figure, was accused of emotional, psychological and even physical abuse by members of Weigh Down Workshop and Remnant Fellowship.

We imagine it will take a similar approach to Netflix series Inventing Anna, which followed the story of Anna Delvey's fall from grace through the lens of a journalist seeking out the truth.

Who is involved?

So far, Sarah Paulson has been announced to play Gwen Shamblin and given her past performances in true crime serieses, like Linda Tripp of Impeachment: American Crime Story, this choice has our seal of approval. As for who is behind the camera? Michelle Dean is onboard as showrunner and will executive produce alongside Paulson, Chrissy Teigen's company Huntley Productions and Ross Dinerstein's Campfire Studios.

Is there a release date?

At this stage, the series is still in production per Deadline. No word yet on a premiere date.

 

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