free counter with statistics David Simon and Tom Fontana to Adapt Manhunt for HBO | Pajiba - Scathing Reviews for Bitchy People

“Fourscore and … Seven Minutes Ago … We, Your Forefathers, Were Brought Forth Upon a Most Excellent Adventure….”
Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was the Play? / Seth Freilich

Trade News | September 17, 2008 | Comments (11)

The_Wire_Bubbles.jpgBetween “The Wire” and “Generation Kill” (get the DVDs when it comes out — fascinating miniseries) David Simon is the best thing HBO has going for it right now. And since the not-TV network generally knows a good thing when it’s got one, it’s hanging on to Simon for yet another project, on top of the New Orleans-based “Treme” show he’s already working on. In fact, they’re pairing him up with another former HBO guy, Tom Fontana (creator of “Oz”), who many know worked with Simon on NBC’s “Homicide.”

Anyway, they’re teaming up to write “Manhunt,” which is based on the-book-of-the-same-name by James L. Swanson and focuses on the 12-day, uhm, manhunt for John Wilkes Booth after he did a little shoot-em-up bang-bang at Ford Theater. It will come as no surprise to Simon fans that the miniseries isn’t going to focus so much on Lincoln or Booth but, rather, on those who were involved in tracking him down (what some might call the po-lice, even). And while I haven’t read Swanson’s book, I do know a little about this story thanks to Sarah Vowell’s hilarious Assassination Vacation, and it’s pretty fascinating. So color me stoked.


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Comments

Some say Lincoln was being kind of a douche that night, the final straw was when he told the ushers to send any complaints to his Gettysburg address...

Too soon?

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at September 17, 2008 9:32 AM

God Yes! Finally someone updates the Keystone Kops for the 20th century. Please let them all pile onto an old jalopy. And chase him while waving their batons. Oh, glorious day, think of the hijinks.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at September 17, 2008 9:35 AM

I just watched the series finale of The Wire last night and was very pleased with how things were wrapped up. There was a bit of 'blah' about most of this final season, but that last show was a great payoff.

The 'Manhunt' book was amazing, I couldn't put that sucker down. With Tom Fontana and David Simon behind this miniseries, it just has 'excellence' written all over it.

So yeah, I'm pretty stoked too.

Posted by: TMax at September 17, 2008 9:40 AM

It could be a 12-hour miniseries of Lincoln taking a dump and you know David Simon would make it the most gripping thing you've ever seen.

Posted by: Spyro at September 17, 2008 10:18 AM

Oh so it's not about the adventures of James Earl Cash in Carcer City? Just as well, I guess.

Posted by: Adere at September 17, 2008 10:26 AM

Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star, bitches. CSA FO' LIFE!

Posted by: Lucas at September 17, 2008 10:57 AM

Oh man, Assassination Vacation was one of the best times I had reading a book, it was the perfect blend of murder, history, and wit. I have such a girl crush on Sarah Vowell.

Posted by: Julie at September 17, 2008 11:37 AM

OK, this headline had me doing triple-takes... there's a notable gay hook-up site called "Manhunt", and that's immediately where my mind went.

Mind you, as other commenters have suggested, David Simon would have us all riveted while watching such a program. After every episode, lesser sites on the Internet would be chock full of comments like "can you believe that guy was using pics taken in 1998?" or "OMG that leather daddy's dungeon was so nasty!".

Posted by: jeem at September 17, 2008 12:39 PM

Gen Kill was fantastic!

Just can't believe that Lt. Nathan Fick was in the remake of "My Sassy Girl" as a soldier... weird.

Posted by: Zerokool at September 17, 2008 5:13 PM

This may be neither here nor there, but I sound exactly like Sarah Vowell.

Posted by: Anna at September 17, 2008 8:25 PM

Sarah Vowell!!! Excellent!!
If she were a president, she would be Babe-raham Lincoln.

Posted by: Empress of All the Russias at September 17, 2008 9:18 PM