Apple Orders Limited Series Based on Hunt for John Wilkes Booth

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Apple Orders Limited Series Based on Hunt for John Wilkes Booth

Apple has ordered a limited series about the hunt for U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, according to a recent report from Variety.

The series, titled Manhunt, will be based on the book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson. The series will be written by Monica Beletsky, who has writing credits on hit television series such as FX’s Fargo and HBO’s The Leftovers, as well as being one of the members of the writing team for the fourth and fifth seasons of Friday Night Lights.

Manhunt will star Tobias Menzies (The Crown), who will play Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s War Secretary and friend, who is nearly driven to madness following the death of the President and stops at nothing to try and catch Booth. Currently, no other casting choices have been announced, but Variety did report that the series will feature a variety of Black historical figures, including Mary Simms, the former slave of a doctor who treated Booth’s injury and gave him safe harbor following the assassination.

Apple’s agreement comes in conjunction with their overall deal with Beletsky, with Manhunt acting as the first official order under the agreement. Alongside writing duties, Beletsky will also executive produce the series and also be its showrunner. Carl Franklin will direct and executive produce the series as well.