The Documentary The Anthrax Attacks, premiering on Netflix this month, will delve deeply into the 2001 anthrax letter problem. Trailer for a forthcoming documentary on the assaults and the investigation that become one of the FBI’s most complex and far-reaching investigations was published by the streaming service. The feature film, directed by Dan Krauss (Extremis), a contender for an Emmy, will debut on the service on September 8. This preview may be seen of as a history of the events surrounding the anthrax attacks and how they were received at the time. Fear spread as anthrax spores were found in envelopes delivered to media outlets and Democratic senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy, prompting calls for a government investigation.
One of the greatest biological attacks on the American people in history resulted in the deaths of five individuals and the illness of seventeen more, triggering an inquiry by the FBI and more action by the U.S. government to combat terrorism. The Ames Strain of anthrax was discovered, suggesting the worst-case scenario—that someone within the United States was responsible for the attack—even if the letters themselves pointed to the activity of a foreign terrorist organisation. In a nightmare, authorities tried to track down the Anthrax Killer. It turns out that the prime suspects were the very government specialists that helped law enforcement zero in on the material and track down the perpetrators.
The authorities investigated several possible sources before settling on Dr Bruce Ivins because they believed they had found evidence linking the Anthrax to his lab. Krauss uses a variety of sources, including interviews with key players, archival film, and reenactments based on FBI documents and emails, to fill out his documentary’s narrative. Ultimately, it was decided to cast Clark Gregg (The Avengers) as the late Dr Ivins. Meanwhile, interviews with survivors and family members will emphasise the tragedy of the attacks and highlight the extent to which so many lives were lost. Krauss, a documentary filmmaker, has been nominated twice for Emmys for his short films The Life of Kevin Carter and Extremis.
But with his most recent feature, The Kill Team, he veered away from documentaries to helm a fictionalised rendition of his award-winning 2013 war documentary of the same name, which starred Nat Wolff and Alexander Skarsgard. An episode of the Netflix documentary series Dirty Money was his other recent project. BBC Studios Production is producing the film that Krauss authored and directed. In addition to Krauss and Cohen and Vohra, who served as executive producers, the film’s team included three other people. Netflix will premiere The Anthrax Attacks on September 8.