Hanks Wins Bid for Spy Thriller

Tom Hanks continues to feed his passion for history with his latest acquisition, the film rights to the novel "Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal".

The deal, in partnership with New Line Cinema, reportedly reached 7 figures in a bidding war between New Line and Warner Bros. Hanks will produce the film, which chronicles the true story of British/Nazi double agent Eddie Chapman based on the book by Ben Macintyre.

Hanks is no stranger to historical drama and seems to have a keen interest in the World War II era following his role in "Saving Private Ryan". He was also instrumental in the effort to construct a WWII Memorial in Washington D.C., which was completed in 2004.

Hanks to Debunk JFK Myths

Tom Hanks has signed on to produce a 10-part miniseries for HBO based on the book "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy".

The book, written by Vincent Bugliosi, debunks various conspiracy theories about Kennedy assassination and supports the Warren Commission's finding that Oswald acted alone.

Hanks will executive produce the miniseries through his production company, Playtone Prods., along with "Apollo 13" co-star Bill Paxton and Playtone exec Gary Goetzman. Hanks and Paxton most recently collaborated on "Big Love" for HBO.

"Based on the facts and evidence that Vincent Bugliosi so masterfully presents, it's a story that has haunted me and my generation our whole lives," Paxton told the Hollywood Reporter. "Now, with the 50th anniversaries of President Kennedy's inaugural address and assassination looming in the next few years, we felt it was the right time to pursue this project."

Bugliosi, who rose to fame as the prosecutor in the Manson Family murder trials and the author of "Helter Skelter" based on the case, expressed his hope that Hanks and HBO can "finally bring the truth to the American public" about the Kennedy assassination.

Unfortunately, Bugliosi may be setting his sights a bit high. Lets face it: conspiracy theories are interesting, and this particular one has fed the public fascination for years. Terms like "lone gunman" and "grassy knoll" have even made their way into American pop culture and are immediately associated with this case. It will take much more than a 10-part miniseries to dispell that.