"Killing Patton" the movie, based on Bill O'Reilly's book in his successful series, has been killed by National Geographic television, said The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive.
The book focused on World War II Army Gen. George S. Patton had been expected to keep going O'Reilly's string of turning his best-selling books into movies. The adaptation of "Killing Patton" was announced in 2015 and had been expected to air in 2019, noted The Hollywood Reporter.
The National Geographic's decision to abandon the project comes two months after O'Reilly was dismissed from Fox News, where he starred for 21 years, following sexual harassment allegations and a sizable advertiser boycott, said CNN. O'Reilly denies the allegations.
The National Geographic cable network is majority owned by 21st Century Fox, which also owns the Fox News Channel, noted Variety.
"It was in development for a couple of years, and it was a difficult project to crack creatively," National Geographic told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. "Like most projects in development, it didn't go the distance, so we passed on it."
According to Variety, National Geographic has aired four adapted movies from O'Reilly's book series, beginning with "Killing Lincoln" in 2013. That was followed the same year by "Killing Kennedy." "Killing Jesus" aired in 2015 while "Killing Reagan" continued the string in 2016, noted Variety.
Variety said O'Reilly and Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions, which has produced the "Killing" series for National Geographic, have yet to publicly comment on the decision.
The Hollywood Reporter said O'Reilly's six books in the "Killing" series have sold more than one million copies with another book slated for Sept. 19, even though the topic has yet to be announced.
The former Fox News anchor has a "young reader" version of his latest look "Killing the Rising Sun" coming out on June 20, called "The Day the World Went Nuclear."
O'Reilly announced his next book in the "Killing" historical series on Tuesday and reiterated his denial of the allegations of sexual harassment that led to his ouster. He blamed them on false, ideological attacks and a vicious culture in which there are "no rules."
"Allegations are not facts. Nobody's searching for the truth anymore," O'Reilly told The Associated Press in one of his first interviews since his dismissal.
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