Spike TV Gets ‘Waco’ Starring Taylor Kitsch and Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch
Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch (Photos by Francois Durand / Getty Images and Richard Chavez, respectively)

Spike TV and Weinstein Television have made a deal for the dramatic series, Waco, starring Taylor Kitsch (Lone Survivor) and Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire). The six-part series is based on the books A Place Called Waco by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau (a survivor of the April 1993 fire) and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator by the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge of Negotiations Gary Noesner. Kitsch will star as Branch Davidians cult leader David Koresh, and Shannon will play Noesner in the series which will begin production in the spring of 2017.

John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle (No Escape) are writing the six-part series, with John Erick Dowdle directing. The Dowdle brothers, Shannon, Kitsch, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, David Glasser, Jennifer Malloy, and Megan Spanjian are executive producing.

“We’ve been working with our friend Kevin Kay at Spike for years. He has a rare gift for creating quality scripted television with commercial appeal and when he shared his vision for both the program and his goals for the network, I knew we had found the perfect partner,” stated Harvey Weinstein, TWC co-chairman. “Waco is a provocative series where the drama and excitement are amplified by the truth and the history surrounding the event, along with a cast of amazing actors including the incredible Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch. We are looking forward to working with Sharon Levy and her team to bring this story to life.”

“We couldn’t think of a better home to bring Waco to audiences than Spike TV,” added David Glasser, TWC President and COO. “They are great collaborators dedicated to groundbreaking content, and we are excited to share the riveting stories behind this harrowing event. We look forward to many more partnerships with them in the future.”

“With so many voices in television right now, it’s vital that we’ve found a team truly passionate about the material,” said TWC’s Megan Spanjian and Jennifer Malloy. “From the Dowdles, who spent more than 3 years researching the true story and were able to bring Shannon and Kitsch into the fold. It’s a joy to be working with Spike on another series and we could not be more excited.”

The Plot: Waco will forever change the way the dramatic siege will be viewed. The landmark series will be the definitive untold story exploring the true life details leading up to and chronicling the 51- day siege between the FBI, AFT and David Koresh’s spiritual sect, The Branch Davidians. Told from several perspectives of those most intimately involved from both sides of the conflict, including surviving Branch Davidians which has never been shared on television before, is surprising in its stark contrast to the media narrative at the time and what is remembered of Waco almost 25 years later.