Apple TV+ orders true-crime limited series “Manhunt,” created by Monica Beletsky and starring Tobias Menzies. “Manhunt” is a true-crime series based on the astonishing events of the Lincoln assassination, aftermath and best-selling book by James Swanson. The limited series is set to star Emmy Award winner Tobias Menzies (“The Crown,” “Game of Thrones,” “Outlander”) 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. Emmy-nominated Carl Franklin (“Devil in a Blue Dress,” “Mindhunter”) will serve as director and executive producer.
Part historical fiction, part conspiracy thriller, “Manhunt” will take audiences into 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 – issues that reverberate into the present day.
The series strongly features 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.
