The Kennedys’ Darker Days Are Heading to the Big Screen

Biopics are in the works on two members of the famed family.
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Jacqueline Onassis attends a reception given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts on Oct. 9, 1975. Mrs. Onassis is honorary trustee of the organization for the preservation and continuing use of the Nation's Historic Architecture. (AP Photo/J.Walter Green)

Jacqueline Onassis Photo by J.Walter Green / AP

Hollywood is getting ready to tackle some of the Kennedys’ darker moments as two biopics are currently being made about members of the famed family.

Earlier this week, the first official photo was released of actress Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy in the upcoming film Jackie.

The biopic–which is being directed by Pablo Larraín and has Darren Aronofsky attached as a producer–will take a look at the former First Lady’s life in the days following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The film is set to be released in 2017 and will also star Peter Sarsgaard as Robert Kennedy.

In addition to Jackie O, Ted Kennedy will be getting his own film as well.

Fifty Shades Of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson is reportedly in talks to helm Chappaquiddick, a film about the late Massachusetts Senator’s 1969 scandal. According to Deadline, the movie will be a “political thriller” that will cover the “seven most dramatic days of Sen. Kennedy’s life.”

The incident, which haunted Kennedy for the rest of his life, occurred when the politician crashed his car into a tidal channel while he was driving home from a party one evening. Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year-old who served as a staffer for his brother Robert, was killed during the accident, which the former Senator did not report until nearly 10 hours later.

Kennedy would eventually plead guilty to the charge of leaving the scene of a crash and was given a two-month suspended jail sentence.

“I’ve done a lot of true life stories, many sports stories, but this one had a deep impact on this country,” producer Mark Ciardi recently told the Hollywood Reporter. “Everyone has an idea of what happened on Chappaquiddick, and this strings together the events in a compelling and emotional way.”

There is no word yet as to when Chappaquiddick will begin filming.

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