HISTORY’S BIGGEST FAMILY FEUD: ‘HATFIELDS & MCCOYS’
Miniseries used to be some of television’s biggest events, with “Shogun,” “Roots,” and “The Winds of War” commanding huge audiences in the ’70s and ’80s. While the miniseries has been largely absent from television for several years, “Hatfields & McCoys” is going to try to bring the form back in a big way.“Hatfields & McCoys,” based on the legendary feud between two warring families, brings a real big-screen sensibility to the small screen. You’d even expect to see its stars in a theater instead of television: Academy Award winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves,” “The Bodyguard”) and Bill Paxton (“Titanic,” “Aliens”). We spoke to producer Leslie Greif who has produced written and directed films and many television shows and also produced The Hatfield-McCoys.
Producer Leslie Greif has produced, written, and directed theatrical films, and told us that yes, the goal was to make “Hatfields & McCoys” look like it belongs in a theater. (Click on the audio player to hear Leslie Greif )
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The project has been a labor of love for Greif ,who first conceived the project 30 years ago, in 1982. Through the years, there were several times when the series almost got made, but it finally got the green light after Kevin Costner got involved. (Click on the audio player to hear Leslie Greif)
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While Costner and Paxton topline the cast, the ensemble also features rising young actors like Lindsay Pulsipher (“True Blood”) and Matt Barr (“Friday Night Lights”). Greif told us that while Paxton and Costner did a fantastic job of acting in the series, they were even more impressive as mentors and role models to the younger cast members. (Click on the audio player to hear Leslie Greif)
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The three-part “Hatfields & McCoys” miniseries premieres Monday on the History Channel
2 Comments
We really enjoyed this movie though its a shame there is so much hate and killing in their story and still today in other aspects of life. Is this on DVD for sale anywhere? If so we’d like to know where and how much it costs. Thank you for a great production of American History. Roy
By: Roy Baughman - Posted June 3rd, 2012 5:00pm
Wow! I find it very intresting!
By: Rebecca Coinster - Posted June 10th, 2012 6:45am