A Sneak Peek at 'Manhunt': The Highly-Anticipated Series Unraveling the Hunt for Lincoln's Assassin | Vanity Fair

Written by Anthony Breznican

Long before author James L. Swanson's thrilling bestseller hit bookstores, the prospect of adapting Manhunt into a screen project seemed a promising endeavor. The book provides an in-depth account of the event-filled manhunt for John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln and later escaped, despite having a broken leg. In fact, Walden Media had announced its plans to adapt Manhunt into a film back in 2002, with Harrison Ford attached to star, five years before its eventual release.

When Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer was published in 2007, the excitement of the public skyrocketed. It earned an Edgar Award for best fact crime book from the Mystery Writers of America and quickly became a bestseller. The much-anticipated big-screen adaptation, however, failed to materialize. A subsequent attempt to convert it into a series for HBO, led by David Simon and Tom Fontana, creators of The Wire and Oz, also fell through.

Time moved on and it seemed probable that Manhunt would end up as a forgotten venture that showed initial promise but couldn't translate into a screen project. However, television producer and showrunner Monica Beletsky wouldn't let that happen. Beletsky, known for her work on Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, and Fargo, after some research developed an interest in the lesser-known figure of Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, who had to bear the brunt of the post-assassination events.

She proposed an idea to Apple TV+ of a series that narrates the events following Lincoln's assassination. Beletsky was not initially focusing on adapting a specific history book, but wanted to portray it as a thrilling detective chase. Later, influenced by Swanson’s book, she decided to merge her interest in Stanton with the Manhunt storyline, which resulted in the series. She confirmed that the show will premiere on Apple TV+ on March 15 next year.

Manhunt, the series, aims to highlight intensely precarious and volatile state of the country at the time of Lincoln's assassination. Enmity was prevalent although the Confederacy had started to surrender and the Civil War appeared to be tapering off. The ratified Emancipation Proclamation had yet to be implemented. The nation was on the verge of re-establishing stability, but it was still quite unstable.

In her conversations with Swanson, Beletsky found one particular detail very touching and significant. After Lincoln was shot, his body was taken inside the house of William and Anna Petersen, which was right next to Ford’s Theatre. A diverse crowd assembled, including theatergoers, residents of DC, and African Americans. By the time his body was taken out in a coffin, only African Americans remained lingering. This image encapsulates how the future of emancipation hung in the balance at that moment.

Beletsky believed that Stanton's character was an optimal perspective to explore both the personal and political consequences of Lincoln's assassination. She contemplates about the experience of being the Secretary of War during the president's murder. This scenario could be perceived as having occurred under her management considering it was possibly an act of war. Furthermore, Lincoln was incredibly admired and had developed a close friendship with Stanton due to their partnership during the war.

Creating the series was personal for Beletsky as her family history traces back to the life-altering events of this period. The series was filmed in Savannah, Georgia, the city where her great-great-grandmother first experienced freedom. Feeling exhausted after long hours of writing and filming, Beletsky found solace in the fact that she was producing a TV show in the same city a few generations later.

In the contemporary era of extreme discord and cynicism, Beletsky feels this narrative about an attempt to forcibly remove the president, along with an assault on his war council the same night, is still relevant as it highlights the disruption of norms in conflict resolution and our shared sense of security.

The show is highly pertinent, believes Beletsky. The domestic attack on Lincoln was unprecedented. The White House door remained unlocked throughout the war, indicating the rarity of such violent incidents.

Even though Lincoln’s demise is the series's starting point, the 16th US president is frequently featured in flashbacks to emphasize the motivations of the pursuers, the stakes, and the magnitude of the loss.

Tobias Menzies, famous for Game of Thrones and Outlander and his portrayal of middle-aged Prince Philip on The Crown, plays Stanton, who often handled problems single-handedly that might have benefited from discussion. Beletsky commends Menzies for displaying that intensity convincingly.

Hamish Linklater, renowned for his roles in The Newsroom, Legion, and Midnight Mass, portrays Lincoln. According to Beletsky, selecting Linklater for the role was due to his brilliance and height. She appreciates his brave decision to accept the role and praises his open and curious acting approach.

Anthony Boyle, from The Plot Against America, portrays John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s killer. Had Booth quietly left the scene, his identity might have remained unknown. However, he jumped onto the stage after wounding the president and yelled out Virginia's state motto, "Sic semper tyrannis", thus revealing his identity.

Beletsky implies Booth deliberately wanted to be known for his crime. From one of the episodes, she quotes Stanton stating Booth saw himself as a hero and expected applause for his action. She further discusses the psychology behind Booth's actions in relation to his father and brother's fame and his aspirations to surpass them.

Manhunt follows an odyssey-like storyline where Booth and his pursuers encounter various people along his journey from Maryland to Virginia. Beletsky admits that the storytelling challenge arises from the constantly shifting environments and new characters introduced with each hour.

Dr. Samuel Mudd, known for treating Booth's leg and failing to immediately report his patient to authorities, is rumored to be the source of the saying, “Your name is mud...”. This claim, though contested by linguists, gained traction with its mention in the 2007 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Mudd is brought to life by Matt Walsh, a comedian who strikes an unexpected balance in a decidedly non-comedic role. The character was designed to portray Mudd as a seemingly benign figure, a friendly neighbor or even a physician for children, rather than an overt villain.

The plot also revolves around Mary Simms and Milo, her brother, where they face the moral dilemma of aiding Booth. Mary Simms, namely the latter character who was once enslaved by Mudd, is played by Lovie Simone.

Simone's portrayal of Mary Simms was a transition from her usual assertive characters to one that was more submissive. This shift was emotive and complex, particularly given the racial tension underpinning the character's narrative.

Other notable roles in the series include Patton Oswalt starring as Lafayette Baker, known for his role as a Union spy and being a notoriously deceptive figure, described by Beletsky as "doing a deal with the devil".

Lili Taylor takes on the mantle of the grief-stricken first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln. The focus of the show is to portray a refreshed narrative of her life, that otherwise commonly gets overshadowed by her mental health struggles.

Beletsky emphasizes a rethinking of Lincoln's legacy that extends beyond her mental health condition to factors such as familial and national pressures, personal losses, and a pre-therapeutic understanding of trauma.

Another focal point of the narrative is the representation of Lincoln after her husband's demise. Her intelligent and empathetic character can be seen in a debate with Stanton in the fourth episode that Beletsky identifies as a particular highlight.

Her relationship with Stanton was sometimes adversarial. With his patience strained, he snaps at her in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s shooting, which only pushes them further apart. But as with Mary Todd, Stanton’s story is one of a person trying their best to hold things together amid unbearable pressures.

“Stanton, to me, represents the type of leader I think more of us wish we had. He is somebody who is a soldier for civil rights, and he does it in a way where he brings people up with him. As opposed to him being this savior figure, he’s always bringing people like Mary Simms to tell their own story,” Beletsky says. “That was very impressive to me, how ahead of his time he was. Part of my hope is that he will be someone our audience will admire as well and take inspiration from.”