Originally published September 26, 2017. Updated April 18, 2018.
Paramount Network has released three first look images of Taylor Kitsch as cult leader David Koresh in the upcoming limited series Waco. The six-part drama explores the standoff between the Branch Davidian religious sect and the U.S. government in 1993, which ended with the deaths of 82 cult members and four ATF agents. Take a look at the images here…
“In February, 1993, the eyes of the world converged on Mount Carmel, a small religious community located just outside Waco, TX. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had just conducted a massive raid on David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians. After what became the longest gun battle in U.S. law enforcement history, four ATF agents and six civilians were dead and dozens more were wounded. A 51-day standoff ensued, and the conflict ended after an FBI assault led to a fire that engulfed Mount Carmel, killing 76 men, women, and children.”
“What precipitated the ATF raid, and what transpired over the ensuing standoff, remains one of the most misunderstood stories in American history. Based on two biographies, A Place Called Waco, by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors of the final fire on April 19, 1993, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator, written by the FBI’s Head of Crisis Negotiation Unit Gary Noesner, the six-part scripted series “Waco” will forever change the way the dramatic siege will be viewed. A quarter century after this seminal moment in American history, Paramount Network will chronicle this true story told from several perspectives of those who were intimately involved.”
Waco is set to premiere in January 2018 and features a cast that includes Taylor Kitsch, Michael Shannon, John Leguizamo, Andrea Riseborough, Rory Culkin, Shea Whigham, Paul Sparks, Melissa Benoist, and Julia Garner.
