Taylor Kitsch will headline a limited series about the Waco siege.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Friday Night Lights alum will star as David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidians who believed himself to be the religious sect’s final prophet. While in charge of the Branch Davidians, Koresh faced multiple accusations of sexual abuse and child abuse.
Michael Shannon has also been tapped to star as the lead FBI negotiator Gary Noesner, withLudacris in talks to play Branch Davidian member Wayne Martin.
Waco, which is currently in development by Weinstein Television, will focus on the 1993 siege on the Branch Davidians’ compound outside Waco, Texas. When the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms initiated a raid on the compound, it resulted in the deaths of four agents and six Branch Davidians. The FBI then took command of the operation, which turned into a 51-day standoff between Koresh and the FBI, with the Branch Davidian members treated as hostages by the FBI.
When the FBI attempted to remove the Branch Davidians from the compound by force in April, the building caught fire, killing Koresh and 80 Branch Davidians, including 22 children. However, the cause of the fire is still heavily disputed, with some believing the sect members started it themselves.
The limited series will be told from different perspectives, both on the government’s side of the siege and the Branch Davidians’. No Escape‘s John Erick and Drew Dowdle will write and executive-producer the project, alongside Kitsch and Shannon.
Waco doesn’t have a network yet, but Weinstein is planning to shop it around in September.
by Sadie Gennis
