'Killing Lincoln' to debut on Presidents' Day weekend

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- America's National Geographic Channel says it has set a Feb. 17 airdate for its first original scripted drama, "Killing Lincoln."

The small-screen adaption of Bill O'Reilly's best-selling book is narrated on camera by Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks. Billy Campbell stars as Abraham Lincoln and Jesse Johnson as John Wilkes Booth.

The program was produced by Ridley Scott and the late Tony Scott.

"April 14, 1865. One gunshot. One assassin hell-bent on killing 'a tyrant,' as he charged -- the 16th president of the United States. And in one moment, our nation was forever changed. This is the most dramatic and resonant crime in American history: the true story of the killing of Abraham Lincoln," the cable network said in a news release.