Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars) has signed on to an upcoming film about former president John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Elgort will act as JFK in his younger days, before his well-known political career, with the film focusing on his actions in the Navy in World War II. There, Kennedy served on a Patrol Torpedo (PT) boat. While it was struck and eventually sunk, Kennedy’s actions turned him into a known war hero as he helped save the crew.
While the film has been in development for a few years, production is still searching for the right director to helm it. The film will be produced by FlynnPictureCo and Thunder Road.
Basil Iwanyk, of Thunder Road Pictures, explains his passion for the film, as well as the framing of the narrative by saying that “[they] love that this is not a biopic nor a film about politics. This is simply a riveting and unbelievable tale that very few people know– about a young man who was a hero long before becoming the iconic 35th President of the United States.” It seems like the film will be concentrating on portraying the story itself instead of choosing a central political message, allowing the events and history to speak for themselves.
This seems like a wise move, as there have been many biopics involving JFK’s influence released throughout the years, ranging from Oliver Stone’s JFK to 2016’s Jackie, in which Natalie Portman acts as Jaqueline Kennedy after her husband’s death. Selecting this certain period of Kennedy’s life sounds like a promising premise, which will hopefully result in an interesting film.
Elgort will next be seen on screens in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver.
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