Manhunt | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Monica Beletsky |
Based on | Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson |
Showrunner | Monica Beletsky |
Directed by | Carl Franklin John Dahl Eva Sørhaug |
Starring | |
Opening theme | "Egún" by Danielle Ponder |
Composer | Bryce Dessner |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 7 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Apple TV+ |
Release | March 15 – April 19, 2024 |
Manhunt is an American historical drama miniseries created by showrunner Monica Beletsky, adapted from James L. Swanson's book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. The series follows Edwin Stanton's search for John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Directed by Carl Franklin and starring Tobias Menzies, the series was produced for Apple TV+, and released on March 15, 2024. [1]
After President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, his secretary of war and friend, Edwin Stanton begins the manhunt to track down Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth. [2]
No. | Title [3] | Directed by | Written by [3] | Original release date [1] |
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1 | "Pilot" | Carl Franklin | Teleplay by : Monica Beletsky | March 15, 2024 |
2 | "Post Mortem" | Carl Franklin | Teleplay by : Monica Beletsky Story by : Monica Beletsky & Matt Johnson | March 15, 2024 |
3 | "Let the Sheep Flee" | John Dahl | Monica Beletsky & Ben H. Winters | March 22, 2024 |
4 | "The Secret Line" | John Dahl | Monica Beletsky & Tim Brittain | March 29, 2024 |
5 | "A Man of Destiny" | Eva Sørhaug | Monica Beletsky & Matthew Fennell | April 5, 2024 |
6 | "Useless" | Eva Sørhaug | Monica Beletsky & Jan Oxenberg | April 12, 2024 |
7 | "The Final Act" | Eva Sørhaug | Monica Beletsky | April 19, 2024 |
In January 2022, a series adaptation of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson was first announced. The series was created and written by showrunner Monica Beletsky as the first project in her overall deal with Apple, and Carl Franklin will direct. [2] The following month, Anthony Boyle and Lovie Simone were added to the cast, with Boyle portraying John Wilkes Booth. [4] Matt Walsh would be cast as Samuel Mudd in March. [5] Additional casting would be announced in May. [6]
Pre-production for the series began in Savannah, Georgia in February 2022, with filming beginning in May and set to finish by October. [7] Filming of the assassination at Ford's Theatre began on location at the Miller Theater, a historic location in Philadelphia, in June 2022. [8]
The programme was presented as being partly fictionalised, with some characters and events created for dramatic purposes. [9]
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an 87% approval rating with an average rating of 7.3/10, based on 46 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Dramatizing a flashpoint in American history with hot-blooded performances and contemporary resonance, Manhunt transcends the trappings of wax museum recreation to deliver addicting entertainment." [10] Metacritic assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11] Angie Han praised the series' themes and the performances of the cast. [12]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Gotham TV Awards | June 4, 2024 | Outstanding Performance in a Limited Series | Tobias Menzies | Pending | [13] |
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth theatrical family from Maryland, he was a noted actor who was also a Confederate sympathizer; denouncing President Lincoln, he lamented the then-recent abolition of slavery in the United States.
Samuel Alexander Mudd Sr. was an American physician who was imprisoned for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth concerning the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Edwin Thomas Booth was an American actor who toured throughout the United States and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869, he founded Booth's Theatre in New York. Some theatrical historians consider him the greatest American actor, and the greatest Prince Hamlet, of the 19th century. His achievements are often overshadowed by his relationship with his younger brother, actor John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was an American boarding house owner in Washington, D.C., who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy which led to the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Sentenced to death, she was hanged and became the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government. She maintained her innocence until her death, and the case against her was and remains controversial. Surratt was the mother of John Surratt, who was later tried in the conspiracy, but was not convicted.
David Edgar Herold was an American pharmacist's assistant and accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. After the shooting, Herold accompanied Booth to the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set Booth's injured leg. The two men then continued their escape through Maryland and into Virginia, and Herold remained with Booth until the authorities cornered them in a barn. Herold surrendered, but Booth was shot to death by Sergeant Boston Corbett. Herold was tried by a military tribunal, sentenced to death for conspiracy, and hanged with three other conspirators at the Washington Arsenal, now known as Fort Lesley J. McNair.
George Andrew Atzerodt was a German American repairman, Confederate sympathizer, and conspirator in the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He was assigned to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson, but lost his nerve and made no attempt. Atzerodt was tried by a military tribunal, sentenced to death for conspiracy, and hanged along with three other conspirators.
Lafayette Curry Baker was a United States investigator and spy, serving the Union Army during the American Civil War and under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.
Louis J. Weichmann was an American clerk who was one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution in the trial following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Previously, he had also been a suspect in the conspiracy because of his association with Mary Surratt's family.
John Harrison Surratt Jr. was an American Confederate spy who was accused of plotting with John Wilkes Booth to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln; he was also suspected of involvement in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. His mother, Mary Surratt, was convicted of conspiracy by a military tribunal and hanged; she owned the boarding house that the conspirators used as a safe house and to plot the scheme.
On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, Lincoln died of his wounds the following day at 7:22 am in the Petersen House opposite the theater. He was the first U.S. president to be assassinated. His funeral and burial were marked by an extended period of national mourning.
Michael O'Laughlen, Jr. was an American Confederate soldier and conspirator in John Wilkes Booth's plot to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, and later in the latter's assassination, although he ended up not directly participating.
Samuel Bland Arnold was an American Confederate sympathizer involved in a plot to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He had joined the Confederate Army shortly after the start of the Civil War but was discharged for health reasons in 1864.
The Day Lincoln Was Shot is a 1998 American television film based on the book by Jim Bishop. It is a re-creation of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, co-written and directed by John Gray, and stars Lance Henriksen as Abraham Lincoln and Rob Morrow as John Wilkes Booth.
John Minchin Lloyd was a bricklayer and police officer in Washington, D.C., in the United States. He was one of the first police officers hired by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia when its Day Watch was first formed in 1855. He played a role in the trial of the conspirators in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. Arrested but never charged in the conspiracy, Lloyd's testimony was critical in convicting Mary Surratt.
The Prisoner of Shark Island is a 1936 American drama film loosely based on the life of Maryland physician Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth and later spent time in prison after his controversial conviction for being one of Booth's accomplices. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, was directed by John Ford and starred Warner Baxter and Gloria Stuart.
James W. Pumphrey was a livery stable owner in Washington, D.C., who played a minor role in the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and its aftermath. Assassin John Wilkes Booth hired a horse from Pumphrey which he used to escape after the deed.
The Conspirator is a 2010 American mystery historical drama film directed by Robert Redford and based on an original screenplay by James D. Solomon. It is the debut film of the American Film Company. The film tells the story of Mary Surratt, the only female conspirator charged in the Abraham Lincoln assassination and the first woman to be executed by the US federal government. It stars Robin Wright as Mary Surratt, together with James McAvoy, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Jonathan Groff, Tom Wilkinson, Alexis Bledel, Kevin Kline, John Cullum, Toby Kebbell, and James Badge Dale.
Monica Beletsky is an American television producer and screenwriter.
Lovie Simone Oppong is an American actress, best known for her role as Zora Greenleaf in drama series Greenleaf.
The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd is a 1980 historical drama film directed by Paul Wendkos. Based on a true story, it revolves around the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Dennis Weaver plays the lead role of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, who was imprisoned for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth in the killing.