History and History Television green light Kennedys drama

History channel in the US is teaming with History Television in Canada to produce The Kennedys, a scripted series about the powerful American political clan.

The eight-part series has a budget of about US$30 million and will be produced by Canadian indie Muse Entertainment for History, which is owned by AETN and History Television, a specialty channel owned by Canadian media group Canwest.

For the Canadian channel the series marks the first foray into scripted programming.

Shooting on the show starts in June and it will TX next year in Canada and the US. A host of star names are attached to the project. Greg Kinnear will play John F. Kennedy and Katie Holmes the First Lady.

“There’s an endless fascination with the Kennedy story, and it’s one that continues to resonate with people around the world,” said Christine Shipton, senior VP, drama and factual Content, Canwest Broadcasting. “As the network’s very first scripted drama series, we’re excited to bring this prolific piece of American history to life with our partners at AETN.”