'Lewis And Clark' HBO Miniseries Backed By Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, And Edward Norton To Begin Production This Summer [PHOTO]

HBO has officially confirmed that it will be televising "Lewis and Clark," a six-hour miniseries backed by celebrities and executive producers Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, and Edward Norton. The Verge reports that Casey Affleck will play Meriwether Lewis and Matthias Schoenaerts will play William Clark in the historic pair's exploration of the Louisiana Purchase.

EW reports that John Curran will be directing the miniseries, and that the story is based on Stephen E. Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage." Curran will also write the script alongside Norton and Michelle Ashford, and Gary Goetzman, Dede Gardner, Tim Kelly, and Adam Leipzig are also executive producing.

The synopsis of the show is as follows: "'Lewis and Clark' tells the story of America's first contact with the land and native tribes of the country west of the Mississippi River. The miniseries follows the epic journey of the Corps of Discovery and its captains, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who traverse uncharted territory on a mission to deliver President Jefferson's message of sovereignty as they search for his fabled all-water route to the Pacific...

 'Lewis and Clark' focuses not just on their incredible achievements, but also on the physical, spiritual and emotional toll the expedition takes on them."

It sounds like HBO is just as excited to televise the show as we are to watch it. Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming, stated, "In 'Lewis and Clark,' we can see American idealism and the breathtaking natural beauty of the continent, as well as the complexities and tragedies of what came to be known as America's 'manifest destiny.' We are tremendously excited to bring together this incredible group of talents to tell a seminal American story."

Production for the show is scheduled to begin this summer, but as of now there is no news about when it will air.