After focusing on some of history's most epic and generation-defining battles with the long documentary series The Civil War and the World War II centric The War, director Ken Burns and collaborating partner Lynn Novick will look at a more recent and more controversial war from world history with Vietnam, a documentary that will total about 10-12 hours and will air on PBS starting in 2016. Obviously that's a long way to plan ahead, but as time consuming as documentaries are in general, combined with Burns' meticulous work as a documentarian, it's not outrageous.

Read statements from Burns and Novick after the jump.

Burns says [via Variety]:

"Today, more than four decades after it ended, nearly everyone has an opinion about the Vietnam War, but few Americans truly know its history and there is little consensus about what happened there, or why. Our series will shed light both on the history of the war, and on our inability to find common ground about it."

Novick adds:

"We feel it is of paramount importance to honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women who did what our country asked of them, and went to Vietnam. By providing an opportunity for veterans, their families, and those who opposed the war alike, to bear witness to their experiences, we believe that this series will help heal the deep divisions that have endured in America for decades over this enormously controversial and tragic war."

The documentary will use a combination of archival images and testimonies from citizens on both sides of the conflict in Vietnam as well as war protests in the United States. Certainly sounds like another documentary that shouldn't be missed. Five years is a long time to wait, but it should definitely be worth it.