Terence Winter Teaming With Vincent Piazza, Appian Way & Phiphen To Develop Tragicomedy ‘Midge’ On Toxic Chemical Inventor Thomas Midgley, Jr.

EXCLUSIVE: Terence Winter, the writer-producer known for his work on Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos and more, will team with Vincent Piazza, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way and Phiphen to develop Midge, a tragicomic feature based on an absurd but true, as-yet-untold story.

At the center of it is Thomas Midgley, Jr., the man who in the first half of the 20th century invented two of the most toxic and disastrous chemicals humankind has ever known — leaded gasoline and Freon —without having even been a chemist.

In a statement on the project, Winter told Deadline that “the only thing crazier than this story is that it hasn’t already been told.”

He’s teaming with Piazza to pen the script and both will exec produce, along with automotive journalist Jamie Lincoln Kitman (Car & Driver, Road & Track magazine), who also serves as a research consultant on the project. Phiphen’s founder Molly Conners (Birdman, Frozen River) will produce alongside Academy Award nominee Rachel Winter (Dallas Buyers Club). Director meetings are underway.

Winter is best known for creating the acclaimed HBO series Boardwalk Empire, as well as for producing and scripting dozens of episodes of The Sopranos, for which he earned three Emmy Awards. In his 25-plus years in television, he’s also won three PGA awards and four from the WGA. Also the creator of HBO’s Vinyl, he’s otherwise best known for scripting Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. More recently, he co-wrote Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love, which is out in theaters now.

Piazza is best known for his work on the acting front, having appeared in everything from Boardwalk Empire and Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys to the Sylvester Stallone starrer Tulsa King and IFC thriller Centigrade.

Most recently, Appian Way produced the DiCaprio starrer Killers of the Flower Moon, helmed by Scorsese, which is up this year for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Founded by Conners, Jane Sinisi and Amanda Bowers, Phiphen’s recent projects include the comedic thriller Coup! starring Peter Sarsgaard, which premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival and will be released by Greenwich Entertainment, and the Nicolas Cage Western Butcher’s Crossing.

Winter is repped by CAA, LBI Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Piazza by Gersh, Untitled Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.