History Nerd

This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War and to commemorate the event there are a number of television shows and movies coming out in the next four years. 

As a self-proclaimed history nerd I’m really looking forward to what’s being labeled “Shark Week with muskets.”  The History Channel will feature a week of programming which will include Civil War-themed episodes of "Pawn Stars" and "American Pickers," a two-hour special called "Grant & Lee," and "Gettysburg" a film produced by Ridley Scott.  "Gettysburg" will focus on stories of the soldiers who fought, and strip away the romanticized veneer of war by presenting the battle as a visceral terrifying experience though reenactment footage and CGI.

Due out in April is “The Conspirator,” directed by Robert Redford, which tells the story of Mary Surratt the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln.

Then of course there’s Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” which is scheduled to begin filming this summer, and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” which is still in the casting stages.