Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan Downey, are adding new titles to their repertoire by taking on an exciting new project — podcasting!
Their upcoming project isn’t a run-of-the-mill storytelling experience, either; they’re jumping into new waters with a story about the Synanon cult. Deadline shared the news today that Downey Jr. and his wife are behind the upcoming podcast titled The Sunshine Place, which is described as follows:
“The Sunshine Place tells the story of the former California-based experimental drug rehab facility and community that morphed into a dangerous and violent cult, led by its messianic founder Charles E. Diedrich.”
The podcast is a partnership between Wink Pictures and Team Downey for Cadence13, and the multifaceted and complex story is sure to be a hit with audiences everywhere. The true crime community often flock to well-told and explored podcasts, and The Sunshine Place is sure to highlight the most intriguing aspects of it.
Diedrich was a man on a mission, and while the idea behind his rehabilitation facility would have been beneficial, it was anything but helpful because it came from his hands.
The Downeys are listed as executive producers of The Sunshine Place, and in an Instagram post for Team Downey, Susan shared why they are drawn to specific projects, like the upcoming podcast.
The couple also shared a quote with Deadline about the appeal of this specific project and how they hope it will serve as a cautionary tale as much as it’s an informative listen.
“While we were familiar with Synanon, it wasn’t until we heard the deeply personal stories that we could truly appreciate its epic rise and fall. We felt this was a strangely relevant and twisted cautionary tale that had to be told about the incredible lengths people will go to seek out answers and the more dangerous ones others will provide.”
The Sunshine Place kicks off its first of 8 parts on Aug. 10 with a narrator close to the case, Sari Crawford, daughter of a Synanon leader named Bill Crawford.
