Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch ‘Waco’ Series Lands at Spike

Weinstein Company TV is behind limited series based on real-life siege of Branch Davidian compound

Weinstein TV’s limited series “Waco,” starring Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch, has landed at Spike, the company announced Wednesday.

Based on the 1993 FBI siege of the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas, the series will be six episodes and starts filming in the spring.

“We couldn’t think of a better home to bring ‘Waco’ to audiences than Spike TV,” said David Glasser, Weinstein Company president and COO, in a statement.

Shannon (“Boardwalk Empire”) is set to play lead FBI negotiator Gary Noesner, while Kitsch (“Friday Night Lights,” “True Detective”) will assume the role of David Koresh, the notorious leader of the religious group whose stand-off with federal authorities led to a fire that killed almost 80 people.

The drama is largely based on two books about the incident, Noesner’s “Sinful Messiah” and “A Place Called Waco,” by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, who was one of nine survivors of the fatal fire.