In the race to produce a documentary special about the killing of United Healthcare CEO and alleged shooter Luigi Mangione, ABC News may 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,” which will air on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
The special, which will also be available to stream the next day on Hulu, features an exclusive voice recording of Mangione as he discusses his travels through Asia, according to the studio.
Per the logline, “The one-hour film takes a deep dive into a story that riveted the nation, providing a minute-by-minute investigation of the cold-blooded execution of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the shocking social media backlash that turned the alleged murderer into a folk hero for some. In an exclusive audio recording of his voice, Luigi Mangione will be heard clearly on national television as he speaks about his travels through Asia. The special also reveals new details about the hunt for the suspect, examines what may have driven alleged killer Luigi Mangione to murder, and profiles new reporting on the writings found in Mangione’s backpack, what 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 inspired several unscripted projects in the works over the past few days. The ABC News Studios special actually reps the fourth to be announced this week, following news of Anonymous Content and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Prods pursuing a documentary about the story; one from “Amanda Knox” doc filmmaker Stephen Robert Morse; and a special from Investigation Discovery, “Who Is Luigi Mangione?” set to premiere in February.
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In the case of “Manhunt: Luigi Mangione and the CEO Murder – A Special Edition of 20/20,” interviews will include someone identified as “a friend of the suspect,” as well as ABC News contributor and former FBI profiler Brad Garrett; ABC News senior investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky; ABC News legal contributor and defense attorney Brian Buckmire; ABC News chief investigative reporter Josh Margolin; and WABC reporter Josh Einiger.
The special comes from ABC News Studios, with exec producer Muriel Pearson, senior exec producer David Sloan and “20/20” exec producer Janice Johnston. Here’s a first look at the trailer for the special:
Recent ABC News Studios titles include the documentaries “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” “Brats,” “Sound of the Police,” “The Lady Bird Diaries,“ “Aftershock” and “Patrice: The Movie,” and as well as docseries and specials “After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun,” “Betrayal: A Father’s Secret,” “Killing County,” “Wild Crime,” “Mormon No More,” “The Randall Scandal: Love, Loathing, and Vanderpump” and “Jelly Roll: Save Me.”