Apple Studios, Lionsgate organise Manhunt to tell Lincoln assassination story

US tech giant Apple has ordered a true crime drama series about the events and aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, based on James Swanson’s book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer.

Monica Beletsky

Created by Monica Beletsky, the limited series, titled Manhunt, is set to star Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Game of Thrones) as Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s war secretary and friend, who was driven nearly to madness by the need to catch John Wilkes Booth and to carry out Lincoln’s legacy.

Apple Studios is producing Manhunt alongside coproducer Lionsgate for the Apple TV+ global streaming service, in association with POV Entertainment, Walden Media and 3 Arts Entertainment.

Beletsky, who has an overall deal with Apple TV+, serves as showrunner on the series, which is directed by Carl Franklin.

Beletsky and Franklin also exec produce with Swanson, POV Entertainment’s president Layne Eskridge, 3 Arts’ co-founder Michael Rotenberg and literary agent Richard Abate, plus Walden Media’s CEO Frank Smith and exec VP of development and production Naia Cucukov.