‘Death at Penn State’ Limited Series in Development for Hulu

A longtime entertainment executive is reportedly set to produce a limited-run series exploring fraternity life and the death of Timothy Piazza, a Penn State student and Beta Theta Pi pledge who died following alcohol-related hazing in 2017.

“Death at Penn State” is in development for Hulu, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The project from former WarnerMedia and NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt is based on Caitlin Flanagan’s 2017 feature in the Atlantic, “Death at a Penn State Fraternity.”

A release date has not yet been set.

Under his own production company, The Green Room, Greenblatt will serve as the series’ executive producer alongside Flanagan and the Atlantic. Joe Hortua, the writer behind “Better Things” and “Home Before Dark,” will write the series and serve as an executive producer. Kevin Bray, whose credits range from “The Morning Show” to “Suits,” will direct. Lionsgate Television will serve as the project’s studio.

In a statement, Piazza’s parents said they support the production of Greenblatt’s limited series.

“We are grateful and fully supportive of Lionsgate and Hulu taking on this project related to our son’s tragic and very preventable death,” Jim and Evelyn Piazza told the Hollywood Reporter. “Given the reckless and deplorable behavior of fraternity members and their advisors, the lack of oversight by the University and the National Fraternity and the ongoing criminal and civil proceedings that continue five plus years later, we feel this is a story that must be told to prevent similar incidents from happening to another young man (or woman) and their family.”

Greenblatt told the Hollywood Reporter that after reading Flanagan’s feature story earlier this year, he felt Piazza’s story needed to be shared.

“It’s a hard look at a terrible tragedy,” Greenblatt said. “Not only would this be a compelling drama but it could have some effect on the situation. I just started to think about how to do it sensitively and who we could sell it to, and it started there. That article knocked me out and Caitlin, who is one of the great journalists of our time, found a human way into this story that moved me.”

As the former chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment, Greenblatt oversaw the launch and development of HBO Max. He also served in the same role at NBC Entertainment and Universal Television and worked as Showtime’s president from 2003 to 2010.

Piazza died from brain injuries and a lacerated spleen after falling head-first down the fraternity house’s basement stairs in February 2017 during a bid acceptance party. Prosecutors said the 19-year-old sophomore was given 18 alcoholic drinks in 82 minutes as part of an initiation ceremony and subsequent party before he fell. No one called for help until nearly 12 hours later despite his deteriorating condition. The series of events was captured on surveillance video footage, which was used in criminal cases against a number of former fraternity members.

The case resulted in one of the nation’s largest criminal prosecutions for fraternity hazing, with two dozen members charged. Most pleaded to misdemeanor charges, including hazing. Cases against two former chapter leaders are still tied up in appellate court.

Penn State permanently revoked its recognition of the university’s Beta Theta Pi fraternity chapter in the weeks following Piazza’s death and the national organization suspended its charter. The university and the alumni corporation that operated the fraternity house have been locked in a legal battle over its ownership in the ensuing years.

Following Piazza’s death, Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced and approved a new state law to combat hazing. The Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law, signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2018, toughened criminal penalties for hazing and increased requirements for institutions and organizations held responsible.

Piazza’s family later launched a nonprofit foundation in their son’s name to help those in need of prosthetic devices. In 2019, Penn State created the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform to promote nationwide Greek life reform.

Geoff Rushton contributed to this report.