Talos Films and discovery+ announced a multi-year, multi-project deal to produce premium true crime content for the streamer. Coming after the success of "Queen of Meth in May," featuring the story of Lori Arnold’s unlikely rise as a drug “queen pin” in rural Ohio - the two companies are doubling down on an expanded partnership. The next two collaborations will be an inside look at the scandalous Hammer family, including recent allegations around actor Armie Hammer, and an exposé of the troubled teen industry: wilderness camps, gay ‘conversion’ programs, and behavior modification facilities - as told by survivors, legal activists, and whistleblowers.
“We’re excited to expand our successful partnership with the incredible storytellers at Talos Films on several new projects,” said Jason Sarlanis, President, Crime and Investigative Content, Linear and Streaming. “These series are contemporary and urgent, with cases unfolding in real-time. From the corruption and scandals within the Hammer dynasty to the critical need to shut down so-called behavioral health centers at the heart of the troubled teen industry, we're proud to work with the talented team at Talos to bring these stories to our passionate true crime audience."
Co-presidents Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs added: “Talos Films is thrilled to expand on our long-standing relationship with Discovery. The upcoming documentaries are eye-opening accounts of some of the most topical stories of today. These projects are built upon unprecedented access to key insiders who reveal, first hand, never told before stories.”
"As evidenced by the critical acclaim and fan engagement surrounding Queen of Meth, one of our first original breakouts at discovery+, the team at Talos Films is adept at telling compelling and creative stories. We're thrilled to be developing even more projects with them," said Lisa Holme, Group SVP of Content and Commercial Strategy for Discovery, Inc. "These new titles are indicative of the broadening aperture of our true crime lens for our streaming audience."
The limited series "House of Hammer" (wt) illuminates how, in one family, generations of men practiced and inherited unlawful and abusive tactics both in their personal and professional lives. Actor Armie Hammer made headlines earlier this year when he was accused of horrible abuse of multiple women -- but those are just the most recent alleged crimes perpetrated by the Hammer men. Drawing upon the extensive research of author, former New York Times reporter, and former political science professor Edward Jay Epstein (Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer), the series also features exclusive access to Casey Hammer, granddaughter of Armand Hammer and aunt to Armie, who penned the 2015 book Surviving My Birthright about the abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her family members. Additional family members, survivors, and insiders are also set to appear. This series meticulously pieces together the past and present using exclusive archival materials, including intimate home movie footage, unseen family photographs, FBI reports, KGB files, and never-before-heard audio recordings to reveal the hidden stories behind the headlines.
The second limited series, "Tough Love Inc.," reveals through inside accounts from survivors, whistleblowers, and activists an organized system of child abuse that takes place in America’s ”Troubled Teen” Industry (TTI). "Tough Love Inc." tracks its origins from the cult, Synanon, through to government-backed programs onto the money and power that fuels countless programs today. With severe lack of oversight, these unregulated programs - ranging from wilderness programs and addiction centers to ‘conversion’ camps to lockdown facilities - employ mind-control tactics of deprivation, coercion, and brute force, which have proved deadly for the minors in their care. When one TTI facility's doors close, a new one opens in its wake, ready and waiting to welcome a new stream of child victims. This sweeping and shocking mini-series blows the cover of the abusive “Troubled Teen” Industry.