Succession's Sucessor Succeeds

Jesse Armstrong’s (creator: Succession) next project is Mountainhead for HBO. He directs, writes and EPs.

Here’s the synopsis:

Four friends reunite in a snowy mountain mansion during the turmoil of an ongoing international financial crisis that spirals into a tense, satirical unraveling of power and privilege.

It follows four billionaire friends who have a net worth of $371bn and zero culpability:

• Steve Carell

• Jason Schwartzman

• Cory Michael Smith

• Ramy Youssef

Set during a global financial crisis, the series follows a reunion in a snowy mountain mansion that spirals into a

These friends are cut from the same cloth as The Roy family in Succession. And watching the teaser, we revel in their blissful apathy.

Armstrong’s 19-Emmy-winning series Succession was a tour de force of jockeying for power between the snobbish children of a megalomaniacal titan of industry (played musically by Brian Cox).

It was part King Lear and part Rubert Murdoch's story (actually!). What made the series so masterful was how well it dived into the details of the ultra-wealthy, from their broken psychology to their hat choices.

Although the tragicomedy tone of Succession felt unique, bolstered, of course, by the scale of the investment by HBO, Armstrong’s films have had iterations of this tone:

• Downhill (2020)

  • Co-Writer

  • An adaptation of the fierce satire Force Majeure

• The Day Shall Come (2019)

  • Co-Writer

  • Genre: Weaponized Comedy

• In the Loop (2009)

  • Co-Writer

  • Like Veep but with more swearing and very very dry humor

With his knack for dissecting power dynamics and unraveling complex relationships with razor-sharp wit, Armstrong's next project promises to deliver another incisive, darkly comedic exploration of human frailty against the already precarious world of finance.

The untitled HBO film is being fast-tracked and is anticipated to shoot later this year.

For More:

Mountainhead trailer.

“My father was a brute.” In a long line of world-class writing in Succession, Strong’s eulogy of his father (scene) stands amongst the best.

Remember when Adrien Brody was on Succession (clip)?