HISTORY Developing Scripted Anthology Series The Commanders

NEW YORK: HISTORY has added to its development slate the scripted TV event The Commanders, an anthology series dramatizing pivotal moments in U.S. history that defined the men who served as president.

Among those behind the project are Emmy Award winner R.J. Cutler (Nashville, The War Room), Academy Award nominee Stephen J. Rivele (Ali, Nixon), Matthew Sand (Deepwater Horizon), Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Path to 911), Michael Hirst (Vikings, The Tudors) and Leslie Greif (Hatfields & McCoys). The Commanders would include limited series ranging from four to ten hours in length that initially would delve into the stories of Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. HISTORY has projects in internal development tackling other presidents, including Washington, Lincoln and Eisenhower.

HISTORY has optioned several New York Times best sellers as source material for the anthology scripted series, including The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton, by Peter Baker; Theodore Rex, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris; Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, by Brian Kilmeade, as well as The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan, by Rick Perlstein.

“From the contemporary history of Clinton’s impeachment and its lasting impact on the nation’s political landscape and Reagan’s influence that defined the Republican Party for generations, to Jefferson’s creation of the military might of the U.S. Marines—these defining stories forged our nation,” said Jana Bennett, the president and general manager of HISTORY. “‘The Commanders’ would bring history to life and speak to the crises we face in modern times.”

“A+E Studios has already established a strong track record of premium dramas from prolific auspices and we’re building on that tremendous momentum with contemporary history at its finest—from HISTORY’s hit series SIX to the development of The Breach: Inside the Impeachment of Bill Clinton,” said Paul Buccieri, the president of A+E Studios and A+E Networks Portfolio Group. “Shocking, revealing and consequential The Breach: Inside the Impeachment of Bill Clinton, along with Rise of Reagan, Theodore Rex, War of 1812, Alliance and Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, would be exceptional additions to our high-quality programming and development slate.”