September 16, 2008
WHERE MANHUNT  WENT


The book
 We finally have news on what happened to Manhunt, the project based on the James L. Swanson bestselling novel about the 12-day chase for Abraham Lincoln's killer. The option was picked up by Walden Media to be developed into a major movie and Harrison Ford was set to play Col. Conger, the army officer who finally tracked down John Wilkes Booth.

The attempt to turn the book into a movie failed and the project went under the radar. It reappeared yesterday: Broadcasting & Cable reported that HBO has set David Simon (The Wire) and Tom Fontana (Oz ) to develop a TV miniseries. Simon and Fontana have worked together previously: David Simon penned the book Fontana turned into script for NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street
 

Col. Conger: the part Harrison was set to play
 According to Broadcasting & Cable, Manhunt had originally been developed as an action movie but the angle will change in Simon and Fontana's hands: they intend to explore the Lincoln drama through the eyes of lesser-known players. B&C holds it highly unlikely Harrison will be reapproached. Quote David Simon: "I don't do action".

May we kindly suggest the esteemed Mr. Simon do the homework on Mr. Ford's acting career and range?? (Keywords: Witness, The Mosquito Coast and Judgement: The Court Martial of Lt William Calley)


Sources & references:
Broadcasting & Cable
IMDb



Posted by Grethe on Sep. 16, 2008 at 01:37 AM
February 12, 2007
MANHUNT UPDATE

If Ecuadorian movie blog Cinerama and newspaper El Universo were right in November 2006, the project was then pretty paralyzed due to discord over shooting locations. According to the El Universo article, Harrison preferred shooting in the United States, whereas the producers wanted to shoot in Romania to cut costs. Apparently Harrison and director Sebastián Cordero put the project on "wait" and went on to other things.

The script has been worked on since and a recent IMDb update now lists the movie as "in production" with opening set to 2009 and no changes re: director or cast. Worth noticing is that the scriptwriters list now contains the name Andrew W. Marlowe ("Air Force One"). Mike Rich ("Finding Forrester", The Rookie") was on board from the outstart of the project.

The addition of Marlowe tells us somebody's been flexing muscle.

Hoping that the project is out of deadwater, we'll will be posting more as soon as we know more. A good place to check is always the Manhunt section of the HFW Forum and this page.


Posted by Grethe on Feb. 12, 2007 at 09:22 AM
March 30, 2006
The author of Manhunt: The 12-day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James Swanson has an official site where visitors can read several positive reviews of the book and also enjoy a wonderful gallery of photos pertaining to Abraham Lincoln.  Visit his site and also sign up for a newsletter


Posted by Eileen on Mar. 30, 2006 at 02:37 AM
January 19, 2006
Forum member Analia posted an interview that Manhunt director Sebastian Cordero did with an Ecuadorian newspaper.
And how goes Manhunt?
SC: Very well, advancing in details and most of all being tuned up the script.
Harrison Ford has brought ideas for his character?
SC: He has done many suggestions. He is someone that has a lot of sense of the plot, of what is or he is not functioning. His opinions have been very valuable, I would not say that he has carried out demands, but contribute very important. When I entered to the project, they sent me the script and aside some annotations of Harrison. Good, we coincided almost totally. He speaks very clearly and with arguments, what has presented are not whims but real observations
Read the entire article in the forum


Posted by Eileen on Jan. 19, 2006 at 02:34 AM
December 12, 2005
James L. Swanson's book is now availabe for pre-order at Amazon. The book will be released February 1st, 2006 and is selling for $17.79, a 34% savings.
Order, Manhunt : The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer



Posted by Eileen on Dec. 12, 2005 at 02:32 AM
November 27, 2005
History: Dr. Mudd Revisited
Source:  Newsweek

In the December 5th issue of Newsweek is an excellent article concerning Dr. Mudd who was the man that many say was involved in the assassinaton of President Lincoln. Others say it is just a conspiracy theory.
When Dr. Samuel Mudd set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865, was he in on the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, or just a country doc treating a mysterious visitor in the night? History buffs have been drawn to Mudd's story, he was sentenced to life, but President Andrew Johnson pardoned him for staunching a yellow-fever outbreak in prison, for 140 years, debating his guilt or innocence.
Read the entire article on Newsweek's website


Posted by Eileen on Nov. 27, 2005 at 02:26 AM
November 03, 2005
I just received an email from a relative of Everton Conger and got her permission to post.
Ok everyone, I am also very excited about the new "Manhunt" movie coming out. I do love Harrison Ford, but Everton Conger was my great great Grandfather. My family had his portrait hanging in their lake house in Pennsylvania. The picture that was posted on the web site has an eerie resemblance to my dad. Family lure has it that Colonel Conger had a terrible demeanor and threatened to execute the farmer's family where Mr. Booth was in hiding. He apparently went so far as to tie the man's wife to a tree and began to set said tree on fire. Anyway, I am very much looking forward to my family name being associated with someone other than Darva Conger (who by the way is no direct descendent of Everton Conger or my family line).
- Stephanie



Posted by Eileen on Nov. 03, 2005 at 02:25 AM
October 26, 2005
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Sebastian Cordero has been tapped to direct Walden Media's Harrison Ford vehicle "Manhunt," while scribe Andrew W. Marlowe has been hired to do a rewrite on the Civil War thriller. Lawrence Bender is producing. Based on James L. Swanson's forthcoming book, "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Lincoln's Killer," the story takes place after Lincoln's assassination by John Wilkes Booth and follows the search for the assassin led by Col. Everton Conger (Ford). Executive vp Alex Schwartz, vp Jackie Levine and director of development Evan Turner are overseeing for Walden.


Posted by Eileen on Oct. 26, 2005 at 02:18 AM
September 21, 2005
Harrison goes on a Manhunt
Source: Comingsoon.net

Harrison Ford is set to topline Civil War thriller Manhunt for Walden Media, portraying war hero Col. Everton Conger, leader of the search for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.

Variety says the film will be produced by Lawrence Bender with Mike Rich (The Rookie, Finding Forrester) writing the screenplay.

The project will focus on the tense days after Lincoln's assassination in 1865 and follow the New York Cavalry as it solves the mystery that eventually leads to John Wilkes Booth, uncovering a plot that threatens to plunge the nation back into war. Conger was in command of the troops when they tracked down Booth in a Virginia barn 12 days after Lincoln was shot.

Manhunt will be based on James L. Swanson's upcoming book "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer," an hour-by-hour account of the search for Booth, to be published by William Morrow in February.


Posted by Eileen on Sep. 21, 2005 at 02:15 AM