There have been enough docudramas and documentaries on the 1993 Waco standoff that the idea of a new one isn't that interesting. However when Waco when the cast consists of Taylor Kitsch, Michael Shannon, Melissa Benoist, Rory Culkin, Andrea Riseborough (!!!), John Leguizamo, Shea Whigham, and Julia Garner, it's best to not look a gift horse in the mouth. The first trailer for the 6-part miniseries Waco has arrived, featuring our first look at Kitsch as charismatic cult leader, David Koresh.
Written and directed by the Dowdle Brothers (Quarantine), the series recounts the controversial 1993 siege by the FBI and ATF of the compound belonging to the Branch Davidians sect. The siege lasted 51 days, leading to a shootout and fire that killed 76 people. It remains a rallying cry for anti-government groups across country. Here's the series synopsis:
In February, 1993, the eyes of the world converged on Mount Carmel, a small religious community located just outside Waco, TX. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had just conducted a massive raid on David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians. After what became the longest gun battle in U.S. law enforcement history, four ATF agents and six civilians were dead and dozens more were wounded. A 51-day standoff ensued, and the conflict ended after an FBI assault led to a fire that engulfed Mount Carmel, killing 76 men, women, and children.
What precipitated the ATF raid, and what transpired over the ensuing standoff, remains one of the most misunderstood stories in American history. Based on two biographies, A Place Called Waco, by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors of the final fire on April 19, 1993, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator, written by the FBI’s Head of Crisis Negotiation Unit Gary Noesner, the six-part scripted series “Waco” will forever change the way the dramatic siege will be viewed. A quarter century after this seminal moment in American history, Paramount Network will chronicle this true story told from several perspectives of those who were intimately involved.
I'm still amazed it's Kitsch as Koresh and not Shannon, but otherwise this looks like a series to check out. Look for it to hit the Paramount Network, formerly SpikeTV, in January.
