‘The Little Cult That Could’: A Nine-Year Journey Into A Michigan Doomsday Group

EXCLUSIVE: The Little Cult That Could is the new doc from producer-director Anthony Columbus and Tiger King and Chimp Crazy producer-editor Doug Abel. With the first installment of the series premiering in Tribeca‘s TV sidebar, the pair gave Deadline the low-down on the project, which is nine years in the making.

The darkly comic project follows a Michigan doomsday group as they prepare for what they believe is the impending apocalypse. The cult is led by Craig Stasio, a Detroit chiropractor turned doomsday prophet. His fervent followers leave their lives behind to work for his massage business and live communally.

Columbus became aware of Craig after a friend shared a local news story, and he realized he had a personal link. “Among the followers was an old friend I had lost touch with,” he explained. “I reached out to her, and that was kind of the start of this winding nine-year process.”

He added: “For better or worse, we’ve all been inundated with an endless stream of cult content, and I think that often informs expectations and shapes how people think about these types of stories. I hope people reserve judgment about how they may or may not behave in a similar situation until they watch the series.”

Producer and editor Abel said the doc delves into why people joined the cult. “Most of Craig’s followers have had some exposure to organized religion, but probably felt the spirituality filtered through too many layers of authority figures and traditions. Craig offers no-nonsense, direct-from-the-horse’s-mouth access that cuts through the red tape and feels empowering. And clearly they crave a sense of community that they are not otherwise getting from their families.”

The series offers a new way into telling a cult tale, he added. “Our main goal was not to make the typical cult series, but to really be a non-judgmental fly on the wall seeing how the sausage is made, and let the audience take from it what they will.”

CAA is handling world sales on The Little Cult That Could.