Netflix Orders ‘Painkiller’ Limited Series About Opioid Crisis From Eric Newman, Peter Berg To Direct

Painkiller Updates: Eric Newman, the showrunner behind Netflix’s Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, which is centered around the drug trade in Colombia and Mexico, is now set to release another hit with his new project Painkiller. The limited drama series will deal with the American opioid crisis.

While it will be directed by The Leftovers, Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg, the screenplay would be written by A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood scribes Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster.

The series, which will trace the origins of the opioid crisis will have Oscar and Emmy winner Alex Gibney and Newman both as its executive producer.

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Emmy nominees Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster would also be serving as the executive producers and showrunners.

Patrick Radden Keefe and Barry Meier, award winning journalist and writer respectively, would also be on board as consultants, with their published works serving as an underlying material for the show.

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Cindy Holland, Netflix’s VP Content, said that she was excited about this new project which will see the incredible Eric Newman, Alex Gibney, Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster working side by side and simultaneously raising awareness about the opioid epidemic.

While he debuted with Hemlock Grove on Netflix, Newman has since then worked on various other productions such as the massive hit Narcos, Narcos: Mexico and Bright.

Talking about the show, Newman said that the opioid crisis has been decades in the making and is one of the most tragic public health crises in the present day. He blames its birth on the prescription drugs, approved by government agencies and promoted by pharmaceutical companies, which betrayed billions of patients and the trust of the public.

He also thanked Micah, Noah and Alex for the story. He added that he felt honored on working on such a story. He believes that if companies can profit off death, it is only fair to bring this travesty into the eyes of the general public.