Waco Trailer: Taylor Kitsch and Michael Shannon Star in the TV Event

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Paramount Network has released the first trailer for Waco, the upcoming six-part TV event. You can watch the Waco trailer below and tune in for the series in January.

The cast includes Michael Shannon, John Leguizamo, Andrea Riseborough, Rory Culkin, Melissa Benoist, Paul Sparks, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim, Julia Garner, and Taylor Kitsch as David Koresh. Waco is based on the controversial and harrowing true story of the 1993 standoff between the FBI, ATF and David Koresh’s spiritual sect in Waco, TX that resulted in a deadly shootout and fire. Waco is executive produced by Weinstein Television, written by John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle, and directed by John Erick Dowdle.

In February, 1993, the eyes of the world converged on Mount Carmel, a small religious community located just outside Waco, TX. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had just conducted a massive raid on David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians. After what became the longest gun battle in U.S. law enforcement history, four ATF agents and six civilians were dead and dozens more were wounded. A 51-day standoff ensued, and the conflict ended after an FBI assault led to a fire that engulfed Mount Carmel, killing 76 men, women, and children.

What precipitated the ATF raid, and what transpired over the ensuing standoff, remains one of the most misunderstood stories in American history. Waco is based on two biographies, “A Place Called Waco,” by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors of the final fire on April 19, 1993, and “Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator,” written by the FBI’s Head of Crisis Negotiation Unit Gary Noesner.