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‘Manhunt’: First Images Teases the Search for Abraham Lincoln’s Assassin!! Check It Out!!

History meets true crime today in the first batch of images to arrive from Apple TV+’s upcoming scripted series, Manhunt. The search is on for one of the most famous assassins in the history of the United States after John Wilkes Booth took the life of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater. While this and the moments leading up to the death of Lincoln are the events most covered in the history books, Manhunt will turn the pages into the next chapter and follow the tracking and capturing of Booth. Specifically, the series will center on Tobias Menzies’ (The Crown) Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s secretary of war and trusted friend, as he goes on his vengeance-fueled mission to find the man who killed the President and bring him to justice.

Is that the faint drone of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” we hear while flipping through these Manhunt images? From costuming to the makeup department, the creative team really hit the mark in turning the clocks back to 1865. Known for his roles in The Crown and Outlander, Menzies’ latest project sees him sitting high upon a horse with a brimmed hat, on his way to catch the President’s assassin. While he’s recognized as more of a comedy kind of guy, having appeared in the classic sitcom King of Queens and making his way around the world doing standup, Manhunt puts Patton Oswalt in a more serious role as Detective Lafayette Baker, a member of the Union who served as a spy during the Civil War. Like Stanton, Baker had a heavy drive, pushing him to track down Lincoln’s killer.

Another shot portrays the moments after Booth fired his gun with star Anthony Boyle appearing on stage as the historical figure. It was in these moments that the assassin yelled “Sic semper tyrannis!” before fleeing the scene on horseback, not to be caught for almost a full two weeks after the event. Chaos can be seen erupting among those sitting in the audience as the country’s President has just been shot. Finally, the images give us a look at Hamish Linklater’s Abraham Lincoln. The perfect actor for this role, Linklater previously received critical acclaim for his performance in Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass. With a soft, yet stern speaking voice, Linklater will don the stovepipe hat and rise to the occasion of playing Lincoln.

Who Else Is in ‘Manhunt’?

The series also stars familiar faces, including Lovie Simone (Greenleaf), Lili Taylor (Mystic Pizza), Matt Walsh (Veep), Betty Gabriel (The Purge: Election Year), Brandon Flynn (13 Reasons Why), Damian O’Hare (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), and Anne Dudek (White Chicks). Manhunt was created by showrunner and Emmy nominee Monica Beletsky (The Leftovers), who also serves as an executive producer alongside Carl Franklin (Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), with Franklin helming the first two episodes.

As of right now, no trailer for Manhunt has been released, but you can catch the first-look images above. The series will have a two-episode premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 15, 2024, with single installments to follow on Fridays until the finale on April 19. Stay tuned at Collider for further updates.

 

via Collider

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