It’s almost surprising nobody’s made a major movie about it before, but now Rupert Wainright (Stigmata, The Fog) has decided to tackle the events at Waco in 1993, where the FBI surrounded David Koresh’s Branch Davidian cult, which led to a 51 day siege and eventually a fire that killed scores of people.
While Wainwright has been working on the film for a while, writing it alongside investigative journalist James Hibbard, details have now emerged, via a Production Weekly tweet, of the first announced cast members. It reads, ‘Kurt Russell, Adrien Brody & Sharon Stone attached to Rupert Wainwright’s Waco, which plans to film this fall.’
It also offers a link to the director’s personal website, which may not tell us what roles these actors will play (although I can imagine Brody in the Koresh role, with Russell as part of the FBI), but it does give a few more details on the production. It says, ‘Waco will be the first narrative feature film to explore the events of the ATF raid on Mt. Carmel, TX, the 51-day siege that followed, and the devastating compound fire that resulted in the deaths of 81 civilians. The movie cuts between ATF special agents, FBI Negotiators, the Davidians on the inside, the tactical Hostage Rescue Team leaders, and the political machinations in Washington DC … Expert and detailed research for the film was provide by Consultant Michael McNulty, who won an Emmy and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for his documentary, Waco: The Rules of Engagement. He has produced two additional films on the Waco incident, as well as given expert testimony in front of Congress based on his research.’
Waco should make it to cinemas in 2011.