Reelz' "The Kennedys: After Camelot" (Katie Holmes, Matthew Perry)

[Walts Ghost]

Matthew Perry to Star as Ted Kennedy Opposite Katie Holmes in ‘The Kennedys’ Sequel on Reelz

Matthew Perry will play Ted Kennedy in “The Kennedys — After Camelot,” Reelz’s follow-up to the 2011 miniseries “The Kennedys,” Variety has learned.

Perry, who will also serve as an exec producer on the four-part mini, joins Katie Holmes who is reprising her role as Jackie Kennedy Onassis. The project is set to debut in 2017.

The “Friends” alum will portray Ted Kennedy in the years following the assassinations of his brothers Jack and Bobby and depicts his very complicated public and private life as he tries to live up to the Kennedy family political ambition and fill a male leadership void in the family itself. Jackie’s ties to the Kennedy family remained strong throughout her life and her relationship with her brother-in-law Ted grew ever closer as they constantly turned to one another for support and as confidantes, which will be reflected in the Reelz sequel project.

“We are privileged to have an actor of Matthew Perry’s stature and ability take on the role of such a complex and controversial figure as Ted Kennedy,” said exec producer Michael Prupas, president of Muse Entertainment, which is producing the project. “Matthew Perry and Katie Holmes will fascinate audiences around the world as they bring these two famous Americans to life.”

Reelz CEO Stan E. Hubbard commented, “As the Reelz brand has evolved to tell the real stories of celebrities’ lives there’s no bigger celebrity family than the Kennedys and we’re proud to continue this amazing and dramatic story that began with ‘The Kennedys’ miniseries. The Kennedys have inspired more movies, books, TV shows and documentaries than any other American family.”

“The Kennedys-After Camelot” hails from Muse Entertainment. Exec producers are Keri Selig of Intuition Productions, plus Holmes who is directing with Jon Cassar. Stephen Kronish and Sandra Chwialkowska penned the scripts, which are based on J. Randy Taraborrelli’s book “After Camelot: A Personal History of the Kennedy Family 1968 to the Present.” Principal photography begins in May with production set in Toronto, Canada this spring. The mini is slated for a spring 2017 premiere.

Best known for his iconic role of Chandler Bing on “Friends,” Perry stars on “The Odd Couple,” which returns to CBS with its second season on Apr. 7. He is currently starring in “The End of Longing” in London’s West End, marking his playwriting debut. He is repped by CAA.