Real Time with Bill Maher's Anayat Fakhraie To Serve As Showrunner On Series About Mysterious Death Of Muslim Marine Raheel Siddiqui

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 101 Studios announced today that acclaimed writer Anayat Fakhraie (Real Time with Bill Maher, Gaslit) will serve as the showrunner on the upcoming limited series about the death of US Marine Corps recruit Raheel Siddiqui. An American Muslim himself, Fakhraie will chronicle the moments leading up to Siddiqui's abrupt death and the corrupt, abusive culture it uncovered. The NY Times Magazine article "How The Death Of A Muslim Recruit Revealed A Culture Of Brutality In The Marines" by Janet Reitman will serve as the series' source material.

In 2016, after days of continuous hazing and harassment, Siddiqui, a new, young Muslim Marine Corps recruit, fell to his death at Parris Island bootcamp in front of several of his fellow recruits. Investigations into his death revealed a pattern of cyclical, systemic abuse within the US Marine Corps. Fakhraie will be at the helm of the project to retell the story behind Siddiqui's tragic death while also exposing the ruthless hazing culture and torture that has occurred at Parris Island for years.

"Like many, I've found a disappointing lack of diversity in how middle eastern characters have been portrayed in the past. Which is why I'm proud to partner with David Glasser and 101 Studios to shine a light on Raheel's story—a story that we hope will get at the heart of what it means to be an American and what it means to have the courage to serve. I think these are important themes to explore, particularly now."

"There is no better person to come on board this project than Anayat," said David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios. "Anayat's expertise and talent will provide a complex, profound retelling of Raheel's story and help bring awareness to the ingrained, persistent problems within the Marine Corps organization that have caused many others to suffer. We feel extremely fortunate to work alongside him on this and look forward to bringing this story to audiences everywhere."  

Fakhraie has just finished writing on Sam Esmail's Gaslit for Starz and NBCU. Prior to that, he was on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. He has also previously developed shows for Amazon, Temple Hill, Hulu, eOne and Denver & Delilah.

David C. Glasser, David Hutkin, Ron Burkle and Bob Yari will executive produce the limited series.

101 Studios Contacts:
Heather Johnson Phillips - [email protected]

About 101 Studios:
101 Studios is a global entertainment company dedicated to the acquisition, financing, development, production and distribution of high-caliber, creator-driven storytelling. Founded by David Glasser, Chief Executive Officer, and David Hutkin, Chief Operating Officer, the studio empowers content creators through first-class collaboration and innovation. On the television side, 101 produces Taylor Sheridan's Emmy nominated series Yellowstone, as well as Sheridan's upcoming series Mayor of Kingstown and Yellowstone prequel 1883. Additionally, 101 Studios oversees and manages the newly formed Sports Illustrated Studios, a content platform based on the most compelling stories, characters and moments in sports past, present and future. Upcoming projects include Paradise Found based on the true story of high school football coach Rick Prinz; a docuseries about the sexual abuse and cover-up at Ohio State University, co-produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures; and the docuseries Covers, a behind-the-scenes look at Sports Illustrated's top cover stories of all time. SI Studios has also exclusively partnered with iHeartMedia to create and distribute original podcasts through the iHeartPodcast network. On the film side, past releases include The Current War: Director's Cut, the Sundance Audience award winner Burden as well as the family comedy The War with Grandpa.

SOURCE 101 Studios