Six-hour telefilm will air over two nights

ABC's "The Path to 9/11" miniseries will premiere as a two-night event coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

After a lengthy development and production process and extensive scheduling speculation, the network announced on Thursday (June 23) that the six-hour telefilm will begin on Sunday, Sept. 10, running from 8-11 p.m. ET. The conclusion will occupy primetime on Monday, Sept. 11.

Directed by David L. Cunningham, the miniseries focuses on the events leading up to the terrorist attacks and features an ensemble cast led by Harvey Keitel, Donnie Wahlberg and Patricia Heaton.

In the fall of 2004, ABC and NBC announced dueling 9/11 miniseries projects. Initially, NBC appeared to be ahead of the game thanks to the presence of screenwriter Graham Yost and the involvement of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment. NBC's film stalled and never made it to air.