A New Biopic about Young John F Kennedy is in The Works with Director James Gray
Armageddon Time director James Gray is set to develop an untitled biopic that will focus on young John F. Kennedy. The film is said to focus on JFK’s evolution from “an unremarkable young man desperate to prove his mettle to his powerful father, into a WWII hero whose triumph over adversity-hardened leadership skills that forged his path to the White House.”
This should make for an interesting series and I wonder how true it will be to Kennedy’s life. Hollywood likes to embellish things, but Kennedy certainly lived an interesting and wild life. The report shared the following details on a harrowing experience he had during WWII:
Kennedy was the commander of a patrol torpedo boat on the prowl for Japanese destroyers in August 1943. After a battle with several Japanese ships, PT 109 was inadvertently rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagin, and that was the beginning of a harrowing week for the future president. Two died in the explosion, and Kennedy gathered the rest of the men — some were burned, others had swallowed fuel-soaked seawater, and two others couldn’t swim — and tried to salvage the ship but could not send rescue flares for fear of drawing the enemy.
After the vessel went down, Kennedy organized his men for a three-mile swim to an island. His experience as a Harvard swim team member came in handy as he lugged an injured shipmate kept afloat with a life preserver. After finding the island, Kennedy swam to another island looking for rescuers, nearly drowning on the return leg. He made several harrowing trips before he and his shipmates engaged friendly locals and after scrawling an SOS on a coconut, they were finally located by rescuers. Though JFK won medals and qualified for a Purple Heart, he was sanguine about his heroism, saying “It was involuntary. They sank my boat.” But the story found its way to The New Yorker and Reader’s Digest and later, it helped his launch into politics. It was also previously done as a film with Cliff Robertson playing JFK in PT 109 in 1963.
Gray shared in a statement: “It’s an honor to be on board this project with the fantastic producing team at MadRiver. JFK is a figure that’s captivated the attention of the world for decades, as an American president, an ally of the Civil Rights movement and a cultural icon. But this is a unique opportunity to sweep away the myth and explore a side we don’t know at all.”
I like that they are going to put the focus on Kennedy’s younger years because that’s an aspect of the man that most people aren’t familiar with. What do you think?
Source: Deadline