Jason Clarke will play Ted Kennedy in ‘Chappaquiddick’.
The 46-year-old actor will star as the late senator in the new movie detailing the events of the night of July 18, 1969, when Ted was involved in a tragic car accident that claimed the life of his young colleague Mary Jo Kopechne.
Ted drove his vehicle off of a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island and after swimming free he waited several hours before reporting the accident.
Kopechne drowned in the car, her body was recovered the next day and the incident became a huge national scandal, resulting in Kennedy receiving a two-month suspended jail sentence. The accident stopped Ted from following his brothers John and Robert into campaigning to become American President.
According to the movie’s official plot synopsis: "The biographical drama takes place the eve of the moon landing when Senator Ted Kennedy becomes entangled in a tragic car accident that results in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne. Over the course of the next seven days, the Senator struggles to decide between following his own moral compass or using his power and influence to protect the family legacy."
Filming on ‘Chappaquiddick’ is expected to start later this summer with John Curran directing after Sam Taylor-Johnson bowed out to work on Netflix drama ‘Gypsy’.
Jason Clarke to play Ted Kennedy in Chappaquiddick
