NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL adapts Bill O’Reilly’s best-selling book on Lincoln assassination

National Geographic Channel’s first original scripted drama “Killing Lincoln”, based on the best-selling book by controversial political commentator and TV personality Bill O’Reilly, will hit Philippine television on April 14, 2013. Tackling a monumental event in American history, Nat Geos's film  “Killing Lincoln”  portrays the dramatic events that led up to the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and reveals the mysterious motivations of its perpetrator John Wilkes Booth.

“Killing Lincoln” is a film produced by Ridley and Tony Scott’s Scott Free Productions and written by the Emmy Award-winning Erik Jendresen, writer for the acclaimed TV series “Band of Brothers”, who based his script on the book Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever co-written by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. 

“What people never knew, and what both the book and the film capture, is the great tale of action and conspiracy surrounding the manhunt for Booth. It is ultimately a fascinating story, and that’s what makes it the perfect fit for us at Scott Free,” said Scott.

The book was a runaway hit when it was published in 2011, placing No. 2 on The New York Times’ list of best-selling non-fiction and finding a spot among Amazon’s best sellers in November of that year. Millions of readers were captivated by the way O’Reilly and Dugard wove together a compelling narration of the historic circumstances at the close of the American Civil War that led John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Lincoln as well as the thrilling manhunt that ensued to capture a ruthless killer.

Bill O’Reilly is best known as the outspoken anchor of “The O’Reilly Factor,” an opinion-oriented news show on Fox News Channel that has consistently garnered the highest ratings among US cable TV news channels. Previously, he was a correspondent for ABC News before becoming the anchor of “Inside Edition” from 1989 to 1995. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Marist College in New York and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. O’Reilly is widely considered one of the strongest voices in media today.

“Killing Lincoln” is brought to life by a wealth of acting talent, beginning with narration on camera from Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks. Billy Campbell (“The Killing,” “Once and Again”) gives an impressive portrayal of Lincoln, while Jesse Johnson plays John Wilkes Booth in a breakthrough performance. “Killing Lincoln” also stars Geraldine Hughes as Mary Todd Lincoln, the president’s wife, Graham Beckel as Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s secretary of war during the American Civil War, and Shawn Pyfrom as Private John W. Nichols. The two-hour film is directed by Adrian Moat (“Gettysburg”) and produced by Mark Herzog’s Herzog & Co. (“Gettysburg”).

National Geographic Channel’s viewership records were broken when the film premiered on February 17 in the US and recorded 3.4 million viewers. “Killing Lincoln” was hailed by critics as “fascinating,” “heart-pounding” and “constantly illuminating,” and is sure to captivate Asian audiences when it premieres in the region at 9 PM on April 14, Sunday on National Geographic Channel.