First “Manhunt” Trailer Reveals Apple TV+’s Thriller About Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination
“I was born with a chance to be somebody,” a voice says at the top of Apple TV+’s first Manhunt trailer. “I’m going to be the most famous man in the whole world.” Our speaker is none other than John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle), a man who might have gone on to infamy but whose heinous crime has never been fully explicated on screen—until now. The new limited series, from creator and showrunner Monica Beletsky (Fargo, The Leftovers, Friday Night Lights), is based on James L. Swanson’s bestselling nonfiction book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer,” and promises to reveal the full extent of the conspiracy, the crime, and the aftermath.
Starring alongside Boyle are Hamish Linklater as Abraham Lincoln, Tobias Menzies as U.S. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, Lovie Simon as a crucial witness, Mary Simms, Will Harrison as co-conspirator David Herold, Damian O’Hare as Lincoln’s friend Thomas Eckert (the man who invited the president to Ford’s Theater on the night of the assassination), Glenn Morshower as Andrew Johnson, and Patton Oswalt as Detective Layfayette Baker.
The trailer includes the chilling moment Booth quietly steps into Lincoln’s private box, pulls the trigger, and screams, “Freedom for the South!” What followed is the meat of Beletsky’s series, which tracks the hunt for Booth and his co-conspirators as the nation, still deeply traumatized from the Civil War, now must reckon with the assassination of their president. The news is only more shocking when it’s revealed Lincoln’s killer was the well-known actor John Wilkes Booth. Manhunt isn’t just about the desperate search to track down and capture Booth but to piece together the plot and the people involved who made Lincoln’s assassination possible.
Check out the trailer below. Manhunt streams on Apple TV+ on March 15:
Here’s the official synopsis from Apple TV:
Based on The New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning nonfiction book from author James L. Swanson, “Manhunt” is a conspiracy thriller about one of the best-known but least understood crimes in history, the astonishing story of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The seven-part limited series stars Emmy Award-winning actor Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Game of Thrones, Outlander) and is created by Emmy nominee Monica Beletsky (Fargo, The Leftovers, Friday Night Lights), who also serves as showrunner and executive producer.
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Featured image: Episode 1. Anthony Boyle in “Manhunt,” premiering March 15, 2024 on Apple TV+.
