Ridley Scott Civil War drama for PBS

A six-part American Civil War drama with Ridley Scott and David W. Zucker attached is headed for US pubcaster PBS.

The Virginia-set series (title TBA) follows a pair of volunteer nurses on opposing sides of the 18^th century conflict. PBS bills the drama as a “collision of wartime medical drama and a family saga of conflicted loyalties and moral dilemmas”.

It is based on actual letters and memoirs of doctors and female nurses at Mansion House Hospital, with input coming from a group of historians and medical experts including James M. McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era) and Jane Schultz (Women at the Front: Hospital Workers in Civil War America).

A debut season of six episodes is slated for a winter 2016 premiere on Sunday nights.

Sawbone Films and Scott Free Productions are coproducing with Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator), Zucker (The Good Wife) and co-creators Lisa Q. Wolfinger, who leads Lone Wolf Media-owned Sawbone as president, and David Zabel (ER) executive producing.

Funding comes from the Anne Ray Charitable Trust and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. An additional grant comes from the Virginia Film Board.

Electric Entertainment handles international sales of all new drama series from PBS.

In further PBS news, the pubcaster has commissioned documentary pair The Bomb and Uranium – Twisting the Dragon’s Tail. The former comes from Rushmore DeNooyer and Lone Wolf Media. It looks at how the US developed nuclear bombs and their continuing impact on the world.

Uranium is from Wain Fimeri and prodco Genepool with support from SBS in Australia, Film Victoria and Screen Australia. It follows Dr. Derek Muller looks at the controversial element uranium, which is used in everything from medicine to warfare.