Netflix Making Series Based On The Greatest President
This just in via Variety—the streaming giant Netflix is diving headfirst into the world of American politics and history. Why and how? By entering the developmental phase for a brand new series centered around the life of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
The hotly-anticipated project will take inspiration from the bestselling and critically acclaimed book JFK: Coming of Age In The American Century, 1917-1956, penned by Fredrik Logevall. First published in 2020, far before Netflix’s involvement, the book functions as the inaugural volume in a proposed two-volume biographical journey covering JFK’s life. In particular, it begins just before John Kennedy’s birth and then chronicles the events leading up to and including his role as the junior U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts.
Netflix is adapting JFK: Coming of Age In The American Century, 1917-1956 under the guidance of Eric Roth, the writer of Forrest Gump, among many other hits.
More good news for Netflix fans and history buffs—the celebrated and successful screenwriter Eric Roth has come on board the project as its chief writer; Roth will also serve as an executive producer. His involvement is undoubtedly exciting, given Roth’s extensive, acclaimed body of work thus far.
Rumor has it that Netflix’s JFK project aims to shine a narrative spotlight on Camelot and the Kennedy family–one similar to their depiction of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown.
Before lending his talents to Netflix and their portrayal of JFK’s life and legacy, Roth earned an Academy Award for best-adapted screenplay for the iconic, ambitious Forrest Gump. His track record reads like a screenplay best-of list, with multiple Academy Award nominations for significant films like Munich, A Star Is Born, Dune, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, among others. Roth even contributed to the legendary director Martin Scorsese’s forthcoming movie, Killers of the Flower Moon.
Joining Roth as executive producers of Netflix’s JFK series will be Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping of the major production house, Chernin Entertainment. Chernin Entertainment’s television portfolio includes shows like P-Valley and the hotly anticipated Chief of War, which stars Jason Momoa. Chernin and Topping also recently co-produced the more cinematic Luther: The Fallen Sun, starring everybody’s favorite antihero detective played by Idris Elba.
The Netflix JFK series will only cover from when he was growing up in Massachusetts to his time as a Senator.
Even more intriguing news surrounds the streaming giant’s big announcement. Industry insiders have let it drop that Netflix is searching for a series capable of functioning as an American counterpart to their blockbuster hit, The Crown. Rumor has it that Netflix’s JFK project aims to shine a narrative spotlight on Camelot and the Kennedy family–one similar to their depiction of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown. It remains to be seen whether the Kennedy series will partially or fully embrace the same format, one in which a revolving door of actors portrays the President at different life stages.
It’s also unclear who will serve as the project’s showrunner, as representatives for Netflix have not yet found—or at least revealed—someone to creatively shepherd the series along. Still, with such influential names linked to the project, and especially given its compelling subject matter, Netflix’s JFK series should cause a stir and command attention. After all, the project underscores the ceaseless interest in, and the impact of, the Kennedy family, as well as their influence on American history, culture, and politics.
