the creators of "Homicide" are making "Manhunt" for HBO

wow, 1st thought that comes to mind: maybe this will be a new show for HBO's lineup that doesn't suck.

David Simon and Tom Fontana, two of the creators behind one of the greatest television crime dramas of all time, "Homicide: Life on the Street" are now teaming up again to adapt James L. Swanson's excellent book, "Manhunt" which follows the 12-day hunt for John Wilkes Booth following Lincoln's assassination. It's the kind of material that would work well as a film, but knowing that it will get a full mini-series makes me all kinds of excited. Based solely off of the excellent time period series that was "John Adams", I can safely say my hopes are medium to high right now. If your a fan of US History this can only be good news

"Manhunt" is a great book and if Simon and Fontana can bring the same kind of immediacy and character to it that they brought to "Homicide", then HBO can start building a new shelf for all the Emmys this mini-series will collect. No news on casting as of yet.

and here's a link to the NY Times review of the James Swanson book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer.