What we know about Ryan Murphy’s JFK Jr. show ‘American Love Story’

By Dan Heching, CNN

(CNN) — If you’ve gotten to the end of the CNN Original Series “American Prince: JFK Jr.” and want more, there’s a lavish dramatic retelling of his life, love and tragic death coming, but you’ll have to wait a bit.

In the tradition of his Emmy-winning anthologies “American Horror Story” and “American Crime Story,” TV dynamo Ryan Murphy will next year unveil “American Love Story,” focusing on John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette. It’s another in-depth exploration of a headline-grabbing story from 1990s-era America; Murphy’s “Crime Story” anthology has so far explored the stories of the O.J. Simpson trial, the assassination of Gianni Versace, and the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. He also explored the Menendez brothers double-murder trial in his “Monsters” anthology.

“American Love Story” is set to explore JFK Jr. and Bessette’s courtship and marriage, as well as their tragic deaths in a 1999 plane crash off of Martha’s Vineyard, according to IMDb. Here’s what else we know about the series so far.

The cast

The show will feature a cast portraying some of the most iconic personalities of the last century, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, mother to JFK Jr. The former first lady will be played by Naomi Watts, who previously collaborated with Murphy on his “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” series.

Another notable name that comes up is Grace Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter, who will portray JFK Jr.’s sister Caroline Kennedy.

As for the central couple, JFK Jr. will be played by relatively unknown actor Paul Anthony Kelly, whose sole prior credit is a 2010 television series titled “Body Language.” Carolyn Bessette will be portrayed by Sarah Pidgeon, who previously acted in “The Wilds” and “Tiny Beautiful Things” and is featured in this summer’s horror reboot “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

Other famed personalities in the series will include Calvin Klein, to be played by Alessandro Nivola, and Edwin Schlossberg, who will be played by “Angels in America” star Ben Shenkman.

Uproar over some first look images

Very much mirroring the insane scrutiny that the featured couple had to endure during their lifetimes, various photos from the production of “American Love Story” caused quite the media stir earlier this summer, when everything from Pidgeon’s costumes to hair color received ample criticism.

Bessette-Kennedy was a style maven in the ’90s, and all eyes are on the character’s looks in the finished show. Things reached a fever pitch when her former colorist spoke to Vogue about Pidgeon’s hair color being “totally wrong.” Even Murphy himself spoke up about it all, telling Variety in June, “Carolyn Bessette is clearly a religious figure and it’s a religion of her own. It’s very interesting that people become so inflammatory.”

Release date

“American Love Story” is set for release in February 2026, with a streaming release noted on IMDb as February 14.

The-CNN-Wire
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