Tradecraft: 24 Veteran Developing Pinkerton Series

Deadline reports that 24 co-creator Bob Cochran is concocting an 8-10 episode limited series for STARZ about Allan Pinkerton.  Pinkerton, of course, is famous for starting America's first and biggest detective agency, which would go on to employ Dashiell Hammett, who would base his Continental Op character on Pinkerton men he worked with.  So what does that have to do with spies?  Well, apparently, Pinkerton was also Abraham Lincoln's spymaster, heading up the Union Intelligence Service (precursor to the Secret Service) during the American Civil War.  (I never knew that!)  Those years will feature prominently in the STARZ series, including a true occasion on which he saved Lincoln from an early assassination attempt.  (Unfortunately he was no longer in charge of the President's security years later when John Wilkes Booth succeeded where the former assassin had failed.)  Furthermore, Pinkerton was also involved in the Underground Railroad.  Sounds like fascinating stuff!  This could be a great miniseries (or series; the trade blog reports that Cochran is leaving the door open for a second series), potentially combining the mystery/detective genre with spies and Westerns and even historical dramas.  Gerard Butler, who, like Pinkerton, is Scottish, is also involved as a producer–but only as a producer at this time.  However, I find it hard to believe he's not at least considering starring as well...