History Channel Greenlights Kennedys Mini-Series

The History Channel announced today that it will produce mini-series on the Kennedy family, looking to capture some of the power and intrigue that have fed the Kennedys' celebrity over the years. Here's the channel's description of the project, from the release today:

THE KENNEDYS is the saga of the most fabled political family in American history, told in a manner similar to The Godfather: a manipulative, egocentric father determined to live out his own ambitions through his sons, who in turn spent their lives dancing to his tune while at the same time trying to stand on their own.  This is history through personality - the tangled relationships through which paint a picture of one of the most turbulent periods of the modern age.  Viewers will be upstairs at the White House, not in the Cabinet Room.  Through iconic events in history - the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the civil rights struggle, the mob connection - viewers will learn about the lesser known, yet critical personal stories.

The project is being spearheaded by three producers of "24": "24" writer/producers Joel Surnow and Steve Kronish, and "24" producer/director Jon Cassar. It is unclear whether they will use the clock-ticking sound to segue to commercials during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The mini-series will begin shooting in the spring, according to a source with knowledge of the project; the channel will likely decide after that when to air it.