Home Box Officewill develop a miniseries that aims to debunk all the conspiracy theories surrounding the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The network and Tom Hanks’ Playtone film production company will adapt Vincent Bugliosi’s best-selling book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy into a 10-art mini-series – the first big-budget film project greenlit by new HBO co-president Richard Plepler.
Hanks and film producer Gary Goetzman (The Polar Express,MyBig Fat Greek Wedding,Beloved, That Thing You Do!,) will executive produce the series, which will feature HBO Big Love star Bill Paxton, according to HBO officials.
“We are delighted that Tom, Gary and Bill brought this amazing project to HBO,” said HBO Films president Colin Callender in a statement. “The successful creative partnership we have enjoyed with them over the years imbues us with a confidence, an excitement and the knowledge that Bugliosi’s riveting book will make a very powerful transition to the screen.”
Bugliosi’s 1612-page book emphatically refutes conspiracy theorists that say that Lee Harvey Oswald could not have killed the President by himself. The project’s announcement comes 16 years after Oliver Stone’s movie JFK embraced conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’ assassination through the legal machinations of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison.
“I’m really excited to be working with people of the immense stature of Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Bill Paxton,” says Bugliosi in a statement. “Seventy five percent of the American public believes in the falsehood that there was a conspiracy in the assassination of President Kennedy, and only 19% accept the findings of the Warren Commission that Oswald acted alone. Working with Playtone and HBO, I’m confident that we can reverse those numbers and finally bring the truth to the American public.”
