Taylor-Johnson will tackle the infamous Chappaquidick incident, one of the most scandalous tragedies in Kennedy family history. The scandal took place in 1969, when Ted Kennedy drove his car off a one-lane bridge on the Massachusetts island late at night. While Kennedy survived, his passenger—28-year-old Robert Kennedy campaign worker, Mary Jo Kopechne—suffocated. Bizarrely, Ted Kennedy did not report the fatal accident to authorities until nine hours later, after the submerged car was discovered by amateur fishermen. Even after an inquest into Kopechne’s death, many questions remained—and still remain—unanswered.
Kennedy ultimately pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury, and received a two-month suspended jail sentence.
The tragedy has inspired over 15 books, and now a political thriller that will be helmed by Taylor-Johnson, Deadline reports.
Written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan, Chappaquidick will chronicle seven days in Ted Kennedy’s life as he “struggles to follow his own moral compass and simultaneously protect his family’s legacy, all while simply trying to keep his own political ambitions alive.”