Weinstein Television is developing a miniseries to star Taylor Kitsch as the cult leader David Koresh, who led the deadly 1993 standoff with federal agents that left him and nearly 80 of his followers dead in Waco, Texas.
Michael Shannon is on board to play FBI negotiator Gary Noesener. Brothers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle are on board to write the series, with John Dowdle set to direct.
Weinstein Television is about to shop the package for “Waco” to TV buyers. The series is based on “A Place Called Waco,” the memoir of former Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, and “Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator,” the book penned by Noesener.
The miniseries will recount the bizarre chapter that saw Koresh’s obscure Christian sect dominate national headlines during the 51-day siege of the compound that housed his Branch Davidian followers.
FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents targeted the Branch Davidians for a raid after local authorities received reports of child abuse going on inside the compound. That effort was met by gunfire that killed four ATF agents and six Brand Davidians.
The standoff ensued until authorities began to move on the compound with armored vehicles. A fire then broke out inside the buildings that has long been the subject of debate and conspiracy theories about its cause. In the end, Koresh and 76 others were killed in the blaze.
Weinstein Television said the series would tell “the truth behind this tragedy” and examine how law enforcement, media and the rights of individuals collided in a manner that reflect contemporary concerns.
(Pictured: Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch)
