“I was looking to tell a story about an unsung hero”: Monica Beletsky, Lovie Simone and Patton Oswalt on Manhunt

Manhunt is a seven-part drama series adapted and created by showrunner Monica Beletsky from the book written by James L Swanson titled, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer. The narrative follows the assassination plot of President Abraham Lincoln, who was shot at a theatre outing with his wife, and the 12 days that followed in the pursuit of his killer Jonathan Wilkes Booth, with the investigation headed up by his secretary of war Edwin Stanton.

This historical story is rounded out by an impressive cast that includes Hamish Linklater in the role of the President and Tobias Menzies as Stanton. The intricate and epic production also draws from factual archival evidence and court testimony scripts that help bring this conspiracy tale authentically to screen, whilst also unravelling the motivations behind the murder and the political unrest that duly followed.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to Beletsky about why she was inspired to tell this story, what appealed to her about bringing it to audiences and what she hopes viewers will take away from watching her new series.

Lovie Simone chatted to us about her role as Mary in the series, how she was reticent to take it on at first but felt it was important to enlighten audiences with this historical moment and the bravery of her character’s journey.

We also spoke to Patton Oswalt about his role in the series as Lieutenant Baker and how he prepared to take it on. He also talked about bringing out the different layers of his character and the authenticity of the series.

Ezelle Alblas

Manhunt is released on Apple TV+ on 15^th March 2024.

Watch the trailer for Manhunt here: