Chernin Entertainment behind drama; streamer’s North American vice president of spectacle series to exit
Netflix has linked with Chernin Entertainment on a Michael Fassbender-starring drama about the Kennedy family.
The eight-part series is based on Fredrik Logevall’s book, JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956, and will explore the triumphs and tragedies of the Kennedy family.
The first season will chart the improbable ascent of Joe and Rose Kennedy and their nine children in the 1930s.
Fassbender will star as Joe Kennedy, Sr, while Sam Shaw (Manhattan) is showrunner, with executive producers including Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill for Chernin Entertainment.
Eric Roth, Fredrik Logevall, Lila Byock, Anya Epstein, Dustin Thomason, Thomas Vinterberg and Anna O’Malley are also attached, and Vinterberg (Festen) will direct.
Shaw said: “The story of the Kennedys is the closest we have to American mythology – somewhere between Shakespeare and The Bold and the Beautiful.
“But Fredrik Logevall’s stunning, nuanced biography pulls a veil on the human strivings and burdens behind the myth, revealing as much about our present moment, how we got here and where we’re going, as about the Kennedys themselves.
“I’m thrilled to be able to explore this saga of a family and a world in transition with Eric Roth, Thomas Vinterberg and our incredible band of artists and partners, at a moment when our past feels urgently present.”
Scripted exec exit
News of the commission came as news emerged of the latest rejig to Netflix’s North American scripted team, with Blair Fetter set to step down.
The streamer’s vice-president of spectacle series for US and Canada had been at the company since 2012, working on shows ranging from Ozark and The Queen’s Gambit to BoJack Horseman.
Former HBO exec Fetter is departing the company today and had reported into vice-president of studio scripted series Nne Ebong, who said the exec had “brought to life some of our most iconic and culturally defining series”.
His exit comes less than two months since Netflix’s veteran North American scripted exec Peter Friedlander revealed he was departing the company, with Jinny Howe taking on his remit.
Friedlander was subsequently named head of global TV at Amazon Prime Video a month later. Fetter’s next move is not yet known.
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