''Killing Lincoln'' is an American

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

inspired by the 2011 book of the same name by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. This two-hour

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

contains events surrounding the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...

and

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. It was originally broadcast on

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...

on February 17, 2013. Narrated and hosted by American actor

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

, the film stars

Billy Campbell William Oliver Campbell (born July 7, 1959) is an American film and television actor. He first gained recognition for his recurring role as Luke Fuller in the TV series ''Dynasty''. Then he became known for playing Rick Sammler on '' Once and A ...

as President Lincoln and Jesse Johnson as

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...

. It was written and executive produced by

Erik Jendresen Erik Jendresen is an American author, playwright, screenwriter and producer of plays, television, and film. Previous projects include '' Killing Lincoln'', co-produced with Tony and Ridley Scott for the National Geographic Channel; a series base ...

('' Band of Brothers''), directed by Adrian Moat ('' Gettysburg''), produced by Chris Cowen, Mark Herzog,

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as ''Top Gun'' (1986), ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''Day ...

, Mary Lisio, David Zucker, and Terri Weinberg. The docudrama was aired in memorial tribute to producer

, 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 Geographic's highest-rated television airing surpassing ''

Inside 9/11 ''Inside 9/11'' is a three-part television documentary film produced by Towers Productions that premiered on August 21 and August 22, 2005, on the National Geographic Channel. The program covers the September 11 attacks in 2001, the events that ...

'', which drew 3 million in August 2005. ''Killing Lincoln'' was made available on

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...

on June 11, 2013. It features commentary by Erik Jendresen, an interview with Bill O'Reilly, and multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Development

In January 2012, it was announced that Bill O'Reilly will be executive producing a two-hour documentary for

inspired by his ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' best selling novel '' Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever''. In addition, filmmaking brothers

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

and

became attached to the project as producers. Principal photography began on July 16, 2012, in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. It was at this time in which actor

was announced to play President Abraham Lincoln. On August 19, 2012, producer Tony Scott committed suicide. The film was dedicated in his memory. On September 13, 2012,

was announced as the film's "host, narrator and historical commentator".

Cast

the 16th President of the United States, and the main target of the assassination. * Jesse Johnson as

a famous actor from 1855 until his death, and the leader of the plot to kill Lincoln. *

Geraldine Hughes Geraldine Hughes (born 1970) is an actress from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Born in West Belfast, Hughes has appeared in films such as '' Duplex'', ''Rocky Balboa'', and ''Gran Torino''. She also played Mary Todd Lincoln in ''Killing Lincoln''. ...

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...

wife to President Lincoln, thus First Lady. * Kam Dabrowski as

James R. Tanner James R. Tanner (April 4, 1844 – October 2, 1927) was an American soldier and civil servant. He is best known for having lost both his legs below the knee at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Serving during the rest of the war as a government ste ...

Brett Dalton Brett Patrick Dalton (born January 7, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Grant Ward and Hive in ABC's series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', as well as Michael Munroe in the 2015 video game ''Until Dawn''. Early life Dalton gr ...

Robert Todd Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. Robert Lincoln became a business lawyer and company presid ...

the President's son. *

Graham Beckel Graham Stuart Beckel (born December 22, 1949) is an American character actor. He is known for his guest appearances on television but has had roles in several major films as well. He is known for his roles as Franklin Ford in the drama film '' Th ...

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...

the Secretary of War. * Eleanor Perkinson as

Clara Harris Clara Hamilton Harris (September 4, 1834 – December 23, 1883) was an American socialite. She and her fiancé Major Henry Rathbone were the guests of President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Lincoln when John Wilkes Booth shot the ...

who accompanied the Lincolns at Fords Theater. * Todd Fletcher as

Edman Spangler Edman "Ned" Spangler (August 10, 1825 – February 7, 1875), baptized Edmund Spangler, was an American carpenter and stagehand who was employed at Ford's Theatre at the time of President Abraham Lincoln's murder on April 14, 1865. He and ...

who held Booth's horse while Booth shot Lincoln. *

Shawn Pyfrom Shawn Caminiti Pyfrom (born August 16, 1986) is an American actor and singer, who has appeared in several television series and films, and is best known for his portrayal of Andrew Van de Kamp on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's ''Desperate Ho ...

as Pvt. John W. Nichols * Johnathan Tchaikovsky as Crawford * Matt Hackman as

Charles Leale Charles Augustus Leale (March 26, 1842 – June 13, 1932) was a surgeon in the Union Army during the American Civil War and the first doctor to arrive at the presidential box at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865 after John Wilkes Booth fatally sho ...

a Union surgeon who attended President Lincoln's mortal wounds. * Myke Holmes as Dr. F.A. King *Josh Murray as

Lewis Powell (conspirator) Lewis Thornton Powell (April 22, 1844 – July 7, 1865), also known as Lewis Payne and Lewis Paine, was an American Confederate soldier who attempted to assassinate William Henry Seward as part of the Lincoln assassination plot. Wounded at th ...

A member of Booth's plot, who was assigned the task to kill Secretary of State William Seward. *Seamus Mulcahy as

David Herold David Edgar Herold (June 16, 1842 – July 7, 1865) was an American pharmacist's assistant and accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. After the shooting, Herold accompanied Booth to the home of ...

One of the conspirators, who aided Booth on his 12 day escape. * Vince Nappo as

Harry Hawk Harry Hawk (April 28, 1837 – May 28, 1916) was an American actor and comedian, remembered as the only performer on stage at Ford's Theatre at the moment Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865. Early life William Henry Hawk was born in Phi ...

the only actor on stage when Booth shot Lincoln, and jumped down to the stage. * Lucas N Hall as a Union Soldier * Lance Lemon as William Bell Secretary Seward's servant. * Greg Cooper as Alexander Gardner a photographer who took pictures of Lincoln and his assassins. * Andrew Collie as James McCollom * Ed Easterling as Chief Justice David Kellogg Cartter * Joe Inscoe as Doctor May * Benjamin Perkinson as Tad Lincoln President Lincoln's youngest son. * Logan Bennett as John McCullough * Geoffrey Culbertson as Honor Guard Soldier * Leiv Clegg as Proud Slave *

Robin Lord Taylor Robin Lord Taylor (born June 4, 1978) is an American film and television actor and director, known for his role as Oswald Cobblepot in the Fox TV series '' Gotham'', as well as ''Accepted'' (2006), ''Another Earth'' (2011), ''Would You Rather'' ( ...

as Sgt. Silas Cobb who led Booth cross the Navy Yard Bridge.

Reception

Ratings

''Killing Lincoln'' aired on February 17, 2013, on

, setting records for the cable network. The network's first factual drama project, ''Killing Lincolns 3.4 million viewers was NGC's single highest telecast viewership since its launch in late 1997, only to be topped by 3000 viewers by ''Killing Kennedy'' on November 10, 2013. The viewership was especially high for individual broadcasts, with a 175 percent increase from typical broadcasts in that time slot.

Critical response

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the series has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

References

External links

Interactive website

Filming of ''Killing Lincoln'' - Production Photos, Interviews, Videos
* {{Use mdy dates, date=May 2012 2013 biographical drama films 2013 crime films 2013 television films 2013 films Abraham Lincoln in art Biographical films about Abraham Lincoln American documentary television films Films about assassinations Films based on non-fiction books Films based on works by Bill O'Reilly (political commentator) Films based on works by Martin Dugard (author) Films set in 1865 Films shot in Virginia National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming Films set in the White House American Civil War films American drama television films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films