jobeterob
01-10-2011, 07:00 PM
'The Kennedys' pulled in U.S.
By Amber Dowling
2011-01-09
History Channel yanks controversial Canadian 'Kennedy' series under family pressure
The Kennedys, an eight-part Canadian miniseries set to debut in March, has been pulled from the U.S. History Channel after heavy controversy and pullback from the actual Kennedy family.
The series, which stars Katie Holmes as Jackie O, Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy, Tom Wilkinson as Joe Kennedy and Barry Pepper as Robert Kennedy, has been accused of portraying the popular American family in a negative light. Among some of the controversial areas is that it might have been JFK’s idea to build the Berlin wall and that the assassinated president was a sex fiend. At one point, the series even has Joe smashing a crucifix.
The original script was greenlit by History after it had been verified for accuracy, but last week the network reversed that decision citing inaccuracies. Now, the producers are pitching the completed series, which was shot in Toronto, to other networks.
Among those potentially interested is Showtime, which in 2002 aired a documentary about Ronald Reagan that was initially made by CBS, but was pulled under pressure from the Reagan family. Executives for Showtime still have to see the finished project before making a final decision.
The multi-million dollar project comes from Canadian-based Muse Entertainment [[Being Human, Durham County) and Asylum, and is produced by Joel Surnow [[24) — a conservative. Over the course of production, over 50,000 signed filmmaker Robert Greenwald’s petition to stop The Kennedys, while family members were vocal about their ill feelings.
History Channel stood by the project for months, but reportedly got cold feet under pressure from its owners, Disney, Hearst and NBC Universal. On Friday, it released the following statement:
“While the film is produced and acted with the highest quality, after viewing the final product in its totality, we have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand. We recognize historical fiction is an important medium for storytelling and commend all the hard work and passion that has gone into the making of the series, but ultimately deem this as the right programming decision for our network.”
According to Canada’s History Television, a property of Shaw Media, The Kennedys will still air up north. It will debut on March 6.
Thoughts? Sound off below.
By Amber Dowling
2011-01-09
History Channel yanks controversial Canadian 'Kennedy' series under family pressure
The Kennedys, an eight-part Canadian miniseries set to debut in March, has been pulled from the U.S. History Channel after heavy controversy and pullback from the actual Kennedy family.
The series, which stars Katie Holmes as Jackie O, Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy, Tom Wilkinson as Joe Kennedy and Barry Pepper as Robert Kennedy, has been accused of portraying the popular American family in a negative light. Among some of the controversial areas is that it might have been JFK’s idea to build the Berlin wall and that the assassinated president was a sex fiend. At one point, the series even has Joe smashing a crucifix.
The original script was greenlit by History after it had been verified for accuracy, but last week the network reversed that decision citing inaccuracies. Now, the producers are pitching the completed series, which was shot in Toronto, to other networks.
Among those potentially interested is Showtime, which in 2002 aired a documentary about Ronald Reagan that was initially made by CBS, but was pulled under pressure from the Reagan family. Executives for Showtime still have to see the finished project before making a final decision.
The multi-million dollar project comes from Canadian-based Muse Entertainment [[Being Human, Durham County) and Asylum, and is produced by Joel Surnow [[24) — a conservative. Over the course of production, over 50,000 signed filmmaker Robert Greenwald’s petition to stop The Kennedys, while family members were vocal about their ill feelings.
History Channel stood by the project for months, but reportedly got cold feet under pressure from its owners, Disney, Hearst and NBC Universal. On Friday, it released the following statement:
“While the film is produced and acted with the highest quality, after viewing the final product in its totality, we have concluded this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand. We recognize historical fiction is an important medium for storytelling and commend all the hard work and passion that has gone into the making of the series, but ultimately deem this as the right programming decision for our network.”
According to Canada’s History Television, a property of Shaw Media, The Kennedys will still air up north. It will debut on March 6.
Thoughts? Sound off below.