Following the ratings success of “Killing Lincoln” on Nat Geo, the News Corp.-owned cable channel quickly acquired the rights to “Killing Kennedy,” the second book in the series from Fox News host Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly recently announced that the next book will be “Killing Jesus,” about the life–and death–of Christianity’s most important figure.

Not surprisingly, a bidding war broke out for the TV rights, and according to the New York Post‘s Michael Shain, and confirmed by one of my sources familiar with the plans, CNN nearly won the rights to the TV movie.

Jeff Zucker, the new head of the news channel, bid as much as $2.5 million for rights to the book. The Jesus movie will be produced — as the other O’Reilly movies are — by Ridley Scott, the director of “Blade Runner.” Zucker learned of the Jesus movie through Scott, who is also making a series called “Crimes of the Century” for CNN, according to the sources.

Read more

Following the bombshell day on Tuesday, more rumors, news and opinions continue to trickle in regarding CNN.

FishbowlDC reports that the network will be pruning more political contributors from its lineup, naming Roland Martin and Donna Brazile as likely candidates:

Should the calls come down, Brazile likely wouldn’t be too shell-shocked. She’s already got a sweet gig with ABC. Martin, on the other hand, has his “Washington Watch” program on TV One and is a senior analyst for the Tom Joyner radio show.

Deadline reports that CNN has acquired a new weekend series from Ridley Scott called “Crimes of the Century.” The series will examine major news events using cinematic style:
Read more

National Geographic Channel, which will air a TV movie based on Bill O’Reilly‘s book Killing Lincoln next month (you can see the trailer here), has picked up the rights to O’Reilly’s latest book Killing Kennedy.

As with “Killing Lincoln,” Ridley Scott‘s Scott Free Productions will produce the two-hour film, which begins production in the Spring.

“The common parallels between Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy are astonishing, with both assassinations profoundly changing the nation during crucial moments in its history,” said O’Reilly in a statement. “While Kennedy’s assassination continues to garner many conspiracy theories, our story is based on facts, some that haven’t been publicly known. And with National Geographic Channel and Scott Free once again at the helm, I have the utmost trust and faith that they will bring the story of Kennedy and Camelot to life.”

Nat Geo ordered “Killing Lincoln” a year ago, and it debuts on the channel next month. Actor Tom Hanks is also serving as a producer and narrator on that project. News Corp., which owns Fox News Channel, also owns a controlling stake in Nat Geo.