Killing Lincoln (film)

In 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth (Jesse Johnson) assassinates President Abraham Lincoln (Billy Campbell), changing the course of American history.

Contents

• Development
• Cast
• Ratings
• Critical response
• References

Killing Lincoln is an American television film inspired by the 2011 novel of the same name by Bill OReilly. The two-hour political docudrama was originally broadcast on National Geographic Channel on February 17, 2013. Narrated and hosted by American actor Tom Hanks, the film stars Billy Campbell as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Jesse Johnson as John Wilkes Booth. It was written and executive produced by Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers), directed by Adrian Moat (Gettysburg), produced by Chris Cowen, Mark Herzog, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Mary Lisio, David Zucker, and Terri Weinberg.

The docudrama was aired in memorial tribute to producer Tony Scott, who was developing the film at the time of his death. The program averaged 3.4 million viewers, scoring about 1 million viewers in the 25–54 demographic. This is currently National Geographics highest-rated television airing surpassing Inside 9/11, which drew 3 million in August 2005.

Killing Lincoln was made available on Blu-ray Disc on June 11, 2013. It features commentary by Erik Jendresen, an interview with Bill OReilly, and multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes.

April 14, 1865. One gunshot. One assassin hell-bent on killing ?a tyrant,? as he charged ? the 16th President of the United States. And in one moment, our nation was forever changed. This is the most dramatic and resonant crime in American history: the true story of the killing of Abraham Lincoln. From Executive Producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, and narrated by Tom Hanks, National Geographic Channel's first ever docudrama, Killing Lincoln, based on the New York Times bestseller, combines re-creations with historical insight in a thrilling chronicle of the final days of President Lincoln and his assassin, John Wilkes Booth.