Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever is set to become a two-hour documentary, with National Geographic and Tony and Ridley Scott teaming up to produce the documentary. Filming is expected to begin this spring with an eye on a 2013 premiere.
“National Geographic has a great legacy of telling some of history’s most riveting stories,” stated author/executive producer Bill O’Reilly. “The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln is no exception, as it continues to be one of the most significant, life-changing events in America’s young history. Ridley and Tony Scott are incredible directors, producers and amazing storytellers with the ability to bring this story to life in a way no one else can.”
According to the National Geographic Channel, the program will combine historical archives and “quality re-enactments with CGI.”
Producer and three-time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott said, “National Geographic Channel is the perfect partner for us to bring Bill O’Reilly’s dynamic Killing Lincoln to the screen. We are excited to share with audiences this epic and thrilling story surrounding Lincoln’s assassination, one of the most notorious crimes in American history.”
The official Killing Lincoln synopsis:
“Killing Lincoln is the first work of history from best-selling author and television news anchor Bill O’Reilly. The narrative recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history — how one gunshot changed the country forever.
In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America’s Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln’s generous terms for Robert E. Lee’s surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln’s dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased. In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington, D.C., John Wilkes Booth — charismatic ladies’ man and impenitent racist — murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country’s most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shoot-out and a series of court-ordered executions — including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt.
Source: National Geographic Channel – January 15, 2012
–Posted by Rebecca Murray
