BlackBox Multimedia announces it is partnering with Janet Montgomery and Tricia Small to develop a high-end television series based on their concept, Aqua Tofana. The series will be written by Dracula creator Cole Haddon.

Janet Montgomery (New Amsterdam, This is Us) and Tricia Small (Salem, Mothers and Daughters) are attached as co-creators and executive producers.

Set in Seventeenth-Century Italy and based on a shockingly true story, Aqua Tofana is a female-led crime drama charting the story of three generations of women from the same family – Tofiana, Giulia and Girolama – who were collectively responsible for the deaths of over 600 men.

Aqua Tofana was a discreet and deadly poison, a recipe handed down from mother to daughter, generation to generation. Disguised as a cosmetic and discreetly sold to women looking to escape violent relationships and oppressive marriages, the business operated with tremendous success. But as the poison grew in popularity, its original intentions – to emancipate women – became corrupted by personal ambition and a desire to exact vengeance upon the system that made its use necessary, to begin with.

Aqua Tofana is a gritty, thrilling story that explores timely themes about power, patriarchy, and female solidarity. Like The Godfather trilogy, it chronicles the rise and fall of a criminal family and how each generation evolves and challenges the work of the one preceding it. It has complex characters who defy the typical ‘good vs. bad’ dichotomy, and instead forces the viewer to question where the line between justice and vengeance lies.

Janet Montgomery says, “We stumbled across this true story while living together during Covid lockdown and, after digging deeper into it, our perception of women in history changed. These women didn’t wait to be given power; they boldly took it. We were instantly entranced and knew we had to bring this unbelievable tale to the screen for a modern audience. We’re thrilled to join forces with Cole and BlackBox on this exciting endeavour.”

Giuliano Papadia, CEO and Creative Director at BlackBox Multimedia says, “The original legend of Aqua Tofana really is stranger than fiction and when we first spoke to Tricia and Janet about the idea, we realised that it combined our favourite ingredients here at BlackBox: an epic tale told through an intimate lens. And what could be better than also having the unique voice of Cole Haddon on board to tell it. With a fantastic creative team of onscreen and offscreen talent, Aqua Tofana has all the makings of a classic series and we can’t wait to introduce audiences to this criminal empire.”

Cole Haddon, co-creator/writer, says, “I have long hoped to write a crime epic. I just couldn’t find a story that felt not only original and exciting, but also necessary. When I was pitched Aqua Tofana, I immediately recognized it as everything I was searching for. These three generations of women engaged in a deadly – and immensely lucrative – war with a power structure that told them they had no value beyond bearing children. It’s horrifying how much of their story is still relevant today. I’m ecstatic to be collaborating with Janet and Tricia and my good friends at BlackBox on this remarkable story.”