Hare Krishna Exposé ‘Monkey On A Stick’ Adapted As Feature Doc From ‘Sort Of’ Producer Sphere Media & Director Jason Lapeyre

Jesse Whittock
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: An exposé about institutionalized corruption in the Hare Krishna movement is being adapted into a feature doc by Sphere Media.

Sphere has acquired rights to non-fiction book Monkey on a Stick: Murder, Madness, which was a New York Times bestseller from 1988 that investigative journalists John Hubner and Lindsey Gruson co-authored.

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The adaptation will be for Canada’s Hollywood Suite for English-speaking Canada and directed by Jason Lapeyre. The book is billed as a “chilling exposé of institutionalised corruption.”

Telefilm Canada’s Theatrical Documentary Program has invested in the film, with assistance coming from the Roger’s Documentary Fund. UK-based Abacus Media Rights has distribution rights outside of Canada, with Hollywood Suite commissioning it for English-speaking Canada and a French-speaking Canadian deal very close to closing.

Lapeyre (I Declare War, The Texas Cheerleader Murder Plot) brought the doc to Canadian film and TV producer Sphere. It explores the Krishna Consciousness, and how the movement was involved in a systemic, long-term cover-up of criminality, moral decay and abuse of power.

The film has obtained exclusive access to Nori Muster, a former Krishna insider turned whistleblower. She was an ardent follower of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) until she discovered a range of serious criminal activities, including child molestation, under former U.S. leader Kirtanananda Swami. Muster left ISKCON in 1988 and published a book, Betrayal of the Spirit: My Life Behind the Headlines of the Hare Krishna Movement, which chronicled her experiences with group.

“John and Lindsey’s gripping investigative journalism electrified me when I first read it and I immediately wanted to adapt their book,” said Lapeyre. “Their original article for Rolling Stone that lead to the book — ‘Dial Om for Murder’ — is over 30 years old now, but with the help of Sphere Media and Nori Muster, we can finally tell this timeless story about the duality of human nature and the danger of fanatical religious power with total authenticity.

“I’m very happy to partner with Sphere Media given their reputation for generating award-winning global entertainment, and unfortunately it seems like the world is forever in need of this kind of reminder about the tragic consequences of the abuse of power.”

“We’ve been looking for the right filmmaker for 35 years and we couldn’t be more pleased that Jason and Sphere will be telling this story,” said Gruson and Hubner in a statement. “In countless hours of work in preproduction, they’ve demonstrated a profound commitment to making a documentary that accurately reflects the breadth and complexity of a movement that combined so much of the best and the worst of humanity.”

Marlo Miazga, President of Unscripted and Documentaries at Sphere, added: “We’re immensely proud to have gained exclusive access to the people at the heart of such an important story. That said, the pioneering and immersive journalism at the heart of the story puts it way ahead of its time and represents a totally fresh take for a modern-day true crime story. Jason’s vision is exactly how the contributors want to see it told and we know the result will be one that will fascinate audiences around the world.”

Sphere is behind shows such as CBC and Max gender-fluid sitcom Sort Of; crime drama Cardinal for CTV and the BBC); Black history drama The Porter (CBC/BET+); CBC, Sky/Sundance-AMC’s coming-of-age thriller Trickster; and police procedural 19-2 for Bell Media. Its feature films include immigrant drama Sweetness in the Belly starring Dakota Fanning, step-dancing movie How She Move starring Rutina Wesley and gay-themed romantic comedy Touch of Pink starring Kyle McLachlin.

Upcoming shows include Canadian Prime Video original The Sticky, a Quebec-set English-language series about the ‘Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist’; and Mae Martin’s Netflix thriller Tall Pines, which explores the struggle between generations against the backdrop of small town with a dark secret.

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