Tobias Menzies (The Crown) has been cast in the lead role for Apple TV+’s Manhunt, a limited series which depicts the aftermath of the assassination of American president Abraham Lincoln. The series is created by Monica Beletsky (Fargo) and is produced by Lionstage and 3 Arts.
Menzies will play Edwin Stanton, “Lincoln’s War Secretary and friend, who was nearly driven to madness by the need to catch assassin John Wilkes Booth and to carry out Lincoln’s legacy.”
Apple describes Manhunt as “part historical fiction and part conspiracy thriller and will center on the aftermath of the first American presidential assassination and the fight to preserve and protect the ideals that were the foundation of Lincoln’s Reconstruction plans.” It is based on the book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson.
Manhunt will also “feature Black historical figures whose lives intertwined with the escape, manhunt and subsequent high-crimes investigation, including Mary Simms, a former slave of the doctor who treated Booth’s injury and gave him safe harbor after his crime.”
Beletsky will serve as showrunner and executive producer while Carl Franklin (Mindhunter) will direct as well as executive producing.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.