Apparently, this is the year for Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. Much of Hollywood seems to be fascinated with the legendary president and his assassin right now, with a biopic and a HBO miniseries already in the works. Now, there's a Showtime series in development that would focus on Booth and his brothers — a dysfunctional family drama of sorts that I'm guessing ends with a president shot dead.

I'm having trouble keeping these various projects straight in my mind. Should I care most about Lincoln himself, how his assassin got caught, or how his killer came to be a presidential shooter in the first place? Here's a handy chart to help you decide:


Name The Booths Team of Rivals Manhunt
Medium TV (Showtime) Film TV (HBO)
Stars To be determined Liam Neeson (Lincoln), Sally Field (Mary Todd Lincoln) To be determined
Focus John Wilkes Booth and his two dysfunctional brothers Lincoln himself "Lesser-known players" in the hunt for Lincoln's killer
Hollywood "Big Name" Executive Producer Kevin Bacon Director Steven Spielberg Writers David Simon and Tom Fontana
Book Inspiration None Team of Rivals Manhunt
Presumed Outcome Lincoln dies Lincoln dies Lincoln dies

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