In the race to produce a documentary special about the murder of United Healthcare CEO and alleged shooter Luigi Mangione, ABC News could be first out of the gate. Variety has learned that ABC News Studios is crashing the one-hour special “Manhunt: Luigi Mangione and the CEO Murder – A Special Edition of 20/20,” airing Thursday, December 19 at 10pm ET on ABC.
The special, which will also be available to stream on Hulu the following day, will feature an exclusive voice recording of Mangione as he discusses his travels through Asia, the studio said.
According to the logline: “The hour-long film delves deep into a story that has captivated the nation, offering a minute-by-minute examination of the cold-blooded execution of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the shocking social media reaction which turned the alleged murderer into a folk hero for some. In an exclusive audio recording of his voice, Luigi Mangione will be clearly heard on national television as he talks about his travels through Asia. The special also reveals new details about the hunt for the suspect, explores what drove alleged killer Luigi Mangione to murder, and profiles new reporting on the writings found in Mangione’s backpack, which police are calling a handwritten confession criticizing the healthcare system, and the three ominous words written on the shell casings.”
The story of Thompson’s murder and the allegations against Mangione have spawned several unscripted projects in recent days. The ABC News Studios special is actually the fourth to be announced this week, following news of Anonymous Content and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Prods working on a documentary about the story; one from “Amanda Knox” documentary maker Stephen Robert Morse; and an Investigation Discovery special, “Who Is Luigi Mangione?” premieres in February.
In the case of “Manhunt: Luigi Mangione and the CEO Murder – A Special Edition of 20/20,” the interviews will include someone identified as “a friend of the suspect,” as well as an ABC News employee and former FBI profiler Brad Garrett; ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky; ABC News paralegal and attorney Brian Buckmire; ABC News chief investigative reporter Josh Margolin; and WABC reporter Josh Einiger.
The special comes from ABC News Studios, with executive producer Muriel Pearson, senior executive producer David Sloan and “20/20” executive producer Janice Johnston. Here’s a first look at the special’s trailer:
Recent titles from ABC News Studios include the documentaries “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” “Brats,” “Sound of the Police,” “The Lady Bird Diaries,” “Aftershock” and “Patrice: The Movie,” as well as documentary series and specials ‘After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun’, ‘Betrayal: A Father’s Secret’, ‘Killing County’, ‘Wild Crime’, ‘Mormon No More’, ‘The Randall Scandal: Love, Disgust and Vanderpump” and “Jelly Roll: Save Me.”