National Geographic Channel Announces That Tom Hanks Joins The Scott Free Production of Killing Lincoln

Academy Award® Winner Hanks to be the On-Camera Narrator, Providing Historical Context and Perspective to this Fresh Telling of Iconic Moment in American History

Film to Premiere Globally on National Geographic Channel in Early 2013

WASHINGTON, Sept.13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Geographic Channel President Howard T. Owens announced today that actor, producer, writer and director Tom Hanks is joining the two-hour television event Killing Lincoln from executive producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott's Scott Free Productions.

Hanks, a two-time Oscar® winner known for his roles in Saving Private Ryan, Forest Gump, Apollo 13, The Green Mile, and The Da Vinci Code, among many others, will serve as the on-camera host, historical commentator and narrator.

Hanks joins director Adrian Moat (Gettysburg), Emmy Award-winning writer/Executive Producer Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers) and producer Mark Herzog's Herzog & Co. (Gettysburg) on the film, which is based on Bill O'Reilly's New York Times best-selling book Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever written with co-author Martin Dugard. 

Production on the historical thriller combines the stunning drama with CGI, in the signature style of the Scott brothers, with rare historical archives.  Actor Billy Campbell plays Abraham Lincoln, actor Jesse Johnson plays John Wilkes Booth in the film which also stars Geraldine Hughes as Mary Todd Lincoln.  Graham Beckel appears as Edwin Stanton (who served as secretary of war under the Lincoln administration) and Shawn Pyfrom portrays Private John W. Nichols. 

"It's odd to say the killing of Abraham Lincoln is an unknown story, but it may as well be," said Hanks. "The depth of the intrigue, the breadth of the conspiracy and the bare-naked exposure of human nature is so timeless, it's a wonder how that seminal tragedy in our history could ever be explained in a few sentences: 'Ford's Theater… John Wilkes Booth,' etc.  The murder of Lincoln is not a passage of our history — it was a signpost of our American character, then, now and forever."

"Having someone like Tom who is so passionate about history and such an incredible storyteller join National Geographic Channel on this project will add even more energy and gravitas to this epic historical moment being retold for contemporary audiences," said Owens.  "

"Only Hanks can add that unique poise, intrigue and dynamism that are his trademark to a film about one of the most significant, life-changing events in America's young history," added Ridley Scott.  "His mastery always shines through and we can't wait for viewers to be engrossed in this story."

The film is set to air globally on NGC in early 2013 in 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages. 

Killing Lincoln is being produced by Scott Free Productions and Herzog & Co. for National Geographic Channel.  Executive producers are Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, along with Bill O'Reilly, David Zucker, Mary Lisio, Mark Herzog, Erik Jendresen (also credited as writer) and Teri Weinberg.  Producer for the project is Christopher Cowen of Herzog & Co., the director is Adrian Moat, who also produces.  For NGC, president is Howard T. Owens, executive producer is Richard Wells, vice president of production and development is Charlie Parsons and executive vice president of programming is Michael Cascio.

About National Geographic Channels:
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks.  The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support their mission.  Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD.  In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled.  The Channels are carried by all of of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 84 million U.S. homes.  Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages.  For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.

About the book Killing Lincoln:
Killing Lincoln is the first work of history from best-selling author and television news anchor Bill O'Reilly.  The narrative recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history — how one gunshot changed the country forever.  In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles.  President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society.  But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased.  In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington, D.C., John Wilkes Booth — charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist — murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre.  A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive.  Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices.  The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shoot-out and a series of court-ordered executions — including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt.

About Scott Free Productions:
Scott Free Productions was formed in 1995 and is the film and television production vehicle of acclaimed film directors, brothers Ridley and Tony Scott. Scott Free Films most recently released Ridley Scott's visionary epic Prometheus to worldwide acclaim, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron as well as the international hits The Grey, Tony Scott's Unstoppable, and the YouTube-backed sensation Life in a Day. Next for Scott Free is Stoker, the English-language debut of Park Chan Wook (Old Boy) at Fox Searchlight, starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode, The East by director Zal Batmanglij starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard, and Ellen Page also for Searchlight, Out of the Furnace at Relativity, written and directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) starring Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson and Forest Whitaker, and The Counselor at Fox, which Ridley Scott is currently directing from Cormac McCarthy's script, starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, and Javier Bardem.

Scott Free Television produces the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-nominated, Peabody-acclaimed drama, The Good Wife for CBS which will enter its fourth season this fall. Upcoming in October on Reelz is an eight-hour adaptation of World Without End, Ken Follett's international best-seller featuring Cynthia Nixon, Ben Chaplin and Miranda Richardson. Scott Free also produced the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-nominated mini-series The Pillars of the Earth for Starz, Coma for A+E, an adaptation of the Robin Cook novel, starring Lauren Ambrose, Geena Davis, James Woods, Richard Dreyfuss, the hit CBS show Numb3rs, which ran for six seasons, and the Emmy®-nominated mini-series The Andromeda Strain, starring Benjamin Bratt and Viola Davis, also for A&E, as well as the Golden Globe®-nominated The Company for TNT featuring Michael Keaton and Alfred Molina. In addition to scripted fare, Scott Free has firmly established its nonfiction presence by producing the epic Emmy®-winning documentary Gettysburg for History Channel and the upcoming documentary Killing Lincoln for National Geographic Channel.

Scott Free has offices in Los Angeles and London in conjunction with RSA Films, one of the world's largest and most successful commercial production houses.

About Herzog & Co.:
Based in Los Angeles, Herzog & Company (HCO) is an award-winning trans-media production company.  From the HCO original programming division, the company has won four Primetime Emmy Awards, an Oscar, had two projects short-listed for the Oscar and has received 10 Emmy nominations.  Its recent History Channel special, Gettysburg produced in association with Scott Free Productions, received Emmy Awards for Costume, Sound Editing, Visual Effects and won for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.  In 2006, the company won the Best Documentary, Short Subject Academy Award for On a Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin.  The company was also Emmy nominated for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special for the HBO documentary We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company, the companion documentary for the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy winning Band of Brothers.

Most recently, original programming at Herzog & Company produced the critically acclaimed HBO series On Freddie Roach in association with Film 44 and has just completed production on the groundbreaking 5-part live-action digital series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn for 343 Industries and Microsoft Corp.  Episode 1 of the series will premiere on Machinima Prime and Halo Waypoint on October 5, 2012.

SOURCE National Geographic Channel