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HBO is developing the dark mystery series “Imposter,” Variety has learned.
The project hails from writer and executive producer Kalos Chu, with Lauren LeFranc and Rachel Jacobs executive producing via Acid and Tender,
which is currently under an overall deal at HBO. “Imposter” marks the first original project developed under that deal.
According to sources, “Imposter” was taken out to market in early August and generated significant interest before landing at HBO. The logline states that the show “follows an outsider entering his freshman year at an elite university.”
Should “Imposter” get picked up to series, it will mark Chu’s first professional screenwriting credit. He graduated from Harvard in 2023 and has interned at multiple companies, including Lucasfilm.
LeFranc is best known for developing the hit HBO limited series “The Penguin.” The show, which served as a spinoff of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starred Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, and Deirdre O’Connell. The show received 24 Emmy nominations in 2025, including best limited series and best actor, actress, and supporting actress in a limited series for Farrell, Milioti, and O’Connell respectively. It ultimately won nine awards, with Milioti picking up the win in her category.
Prior to “The Penguin,” LeFranc served as showrunner on the YouTube Premium original series “Impulse.” Her other TV credits include “Agents of SHIELD,” “Chuck,” and “Hemlock Grove.” She signed her overall deal at HBO in 2025, with Jacobs joining as head of TV and film shortly thereafter.
Chu is repped by Untitled and Hansen Jacobson. LeFranc is repped by Untitled, CAA, ID and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
