Tim Matheson (The West Wing) and Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) are confirmed to play Ronald and Nancy Reagan in National Geographic Channel’s Killing Reagan, a two-more movie based on Bill O’Reilly’s bestselling book. Rod Lurie (The Contender) is attached to direct from a script by Eric Simonson.
“With this fourth installment of the highly successful Killing franchise, we are, along with our partners, Bill O’Reilly and Scott Free Productions, going to use the assassination attempt as a crucible to tell the fascinating and compelling story of Ronald Reagan and his lasting impact on the global stage,” stated Carolyn Bernstein, NGC executive vice president. “We’re delighted to have Tim and Cynthia on board to bring this story to life during an unpredictable and historic election year.”
Filming is expected to begin this month, and NGC is aiming for a fall 2016 premiere. O’Reilly and Scott Free Productions’ Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, and Mary Lisio are on board as executive producers. Killing Reagan marks the fourth collaboration between NGC, Scott Free Productions, and O’Reilly after successful adaptations of Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, and Killing Jesus.
“Even nearly 30 years after his presidency, and more than 10 years after his death, Ronald Reagan’s mark on American politics and the global geopolitical landscape, through both his actions and his policies, still reverberates today,” said Bill O’Reilly. “There is much that can be learned by looking back at that riveting period in history.”
The Plot: Killing Reagan takes a different approach than its predecessors, exploring how the attempted assassination on the newly elected president impacted his time in office. From the final, hotly contested months leading up to his 1980 election, the movie explores Reagan’s journey to the nation’s highest office and the challenges he faced to define himself as a leader.
During this time, the mental health and obsessive tendencies of his would-be assassin, John Hinckley, unravel — leading up to that fateful day in 1981. The story is told in the same riveting fashion that has made best-sellers of O’Reilly’s first four books, and must-see hits of NGC’s movie adaptations. It will premiere on National Geographic Channel in the U.S. this fall, and around the world early next year in 170 countries and 45 languages.
