Nat Geo, Scott Free cast JFK drama

National Geographic and Scott Free Productions have confirmed the cast of their latest fact-based drama Killing Kennedy, with production due to begin next month.

Rob Lowe (The Outsiders, Wayne’s World, The West Wing) will take the lead as President John F Kennedy, with Ginnifer Goodwin co-starring as first lady Jackie Kennedy. Lowe narrated Nat Geo’s six-part factual series The 80’s: The Decade That Made Us earlier this year.

The creative team working on the project includes director Nelson McCormick (The West Wing, ER, Southland) and writer Kelly Masterson. David Zucker and Mary Lisio executive produce for Scott Free with Howard T Owens, Noel Siegel, Charlie Parsons, Richard E Wells and Teri Weinberg filling the role for Nat Geo.

Production begins in June with the two-hour programme due to premiere on National Geographic Channel in the US and internationally later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination.

Killing Kennedy is the latest in a number of fact-based dramas airing on traditional factual cablenets in the US. It follows Killing Lincoln, another Scott Free production, which smashed Nat Geo’s ratings records when it aired in February.

Both Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy are based on books by Bill O’Reilly, and Nat Geo and Scott Free have already confirmed they will collaborate with the author on a third project based on his next work, Killing Jesus.