Deadline – Elle Fanning has teamed up with Jessica Wapner, former science editor of Newsweek, for a documentary podcast series looking at the controversial diet pill and bodybuilding aid DNP.
The pair is working on One Click for Cadence13, the Entercom-backed podcast company. It is based on Wapner’s story for The Daily Beast – The Deadly Internet Diet Drug That Cooks People Alive that was published by in January 2020 and was commissioned by Vespucci Group, the film, TV, podcast & multimedia incubator that produces fact-based stories.
The Great star and exec producer Fanning will narrate the series, based on Wapner’s writing.
DNP is a chemical that was originally used in WWI-era artillery shells that has more recently been sold on the Internet as a diet pill and bodybuilding aid—with fatal results. Fanning and Wapner explore the issues of body image and mental health, and unravel these chain of events.
One Click is designed as a franchise with the story of DNP set as season one. The franchise will explore how a single click on the internet can change a life forever.
The first season of One Click will launch in early 2021.
One Click will be executive produced by Chris Corcoran, Chief Content Officer, Cadence13. It will be directed and produced by Cadence13 and Vespucci Group. Fanning, Wapner, and Brittany Kahan Ward will also produce.
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Cadence 13, Jessica Wapner and Vespucci Group on a podcast that I hope will start an important conversation amongst my peers,” said Fanning. “Our lives are consumed by social media and the internet, and we need to be conscious of the negativity it can breed and the ways in which it is being misused that are so harmful. I even find myself comparing my thighs to other people’s thighs on Instagram. Through Jessica’s investigation into DNP, a drug I had never heard of before, we hope to uncover and expose those preying on the vulnerable. This isn’t a chemistry story—it’s the story of 21-year-olds who burned alive from the inside trying to reach an intangible goal of what society’s beauty standards are today.”
Wapner added, “Moving this story from print to podcast will make for a far-reaching and in-depth examination of the many dire issues surrounding body image. Elle’s intelligence, openness and experience make her an ideal co-host. Vespucci Group’s collaborative spirit, dedication to journalism and storytelling skills make them the ideal producers, along with Cadence13.”
“We’re proud to be aligning with Elle and Jessica, two enormous talents who are clearly passionate about exploring the dangers of body image pressures and the risks people are willing to take, through the lens of this dark and terrifying story,” said Chris Corcoran, Chief Content Officer, Cadence13.
Fanning is represented by Echo Lake Entertainment, United Talent Agency, and Hansen Jacobson. Vespucci Group is represented by WME.
