Did Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver influence the History Channel in its shelving of the controversial 'The Kennedys' miniseries? According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two may have been instrumental in getting the Katie Holmes/Greg Kinnear miniseries off History's schedule.

Caroline Kennedy reportedly personally lobbied Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group. Sweeney sits on the board of A&E Television Networks, the parent company of History.

Kennedy has a book deal with Disney's Hyperion publishing house and is editing a collection of unpublished interviews with her mother, Jackie Kennedy Onasis. She agreed to promote the collection on 'Good Morning America' and other media outlets. However, if AETN had gone through with the project, it's been suggested Kennedy would not have been as cooperative in promoting the Hyperion book.

The much-anticipated 'Kennedys' miniseries was set to air this spring. That is, until History Channel abruptly canceled it today.

"Upon completion of the production of 'The Kennedys,' History has decided not to air the 8-part miniseries," a rep for the network told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. "After viewing the final product in its totality, we have concluded that although the film is produced and acted with the highest quality auspices, the dramatic license the series takes is not suitable for the History brand."

That "dramatic license" didn't deter big-name talent from the multi-million dollar production: Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy; Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy; Barry Pepper as Robert F. Kennedy; and Tom Wilkinson as Joe Kennedy. The actors and producer Joel Surnow ('24') were told this afternoon of the cancellation.

May 19 marks the 16th anniversary of the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Suffice it to say, she's still very much a presence in our culture -- just catch QVC offering reproductions of Mrs. Kennedy's White House jewelry.

And now a Kennedy cable project is on its way that will give Katie Holmes, the teen queen-turned-Mrs. Cruise, the greatest challenge of her career.

Holmes takes on the former First Lady in 'The Kennedys,' an already much-discussed upcoming miniseries for the History Channel. The project, which co-stars Greg Kinnear as President Kennedy, will cover the family's history during the 1960s.

Katie Holmes will return to the small screen to portray one of the most iconic women in American history.

According to Variety, Holmes, who rose to fame on the WB teen drama 'Dawson's Creek,' has been cast as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 'The Kennedys,' an eight-hour miniseries set to air on History in 2011.

Also joining the cast: Greg Kinnear ('As Good as it Gets,' 'Little Miss Sunshine'), as President John F. Kennedy, Barry Pepper, as Senator Robert Kennedy, and two-time Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson ('In the Bedroom,' "Michael Clayton'), who will play their father, Joe Kennedy Sr.

Coming soon from two of the makers of '24': Another tale of a president whose scandalous, secretive behavior jeopardized America's national security. Only this time, the president is John F. Kennedy, and the project is 'The Kennedys,' an eight-hour docudrama miniseries due in 2011 on the History Channel.

Not a frame has been shot yet, but one documentarian and several JFK historians who claim to have seen the script say 'The Kennedys' as written is full of smears, distortions, and an emphasis on the 35th president's lurid sex life at the expense of his historical achievements. They've formed an ad hoc group, StopKennedySmears.com, and have launched an online petition drive threatening a boycott of the channel if the miniseries airs with the script's alleged falsehoods intact.

History is about to make, well, history.

The channel, best known for its epic documentaries, will reportedly take a stab at scripted television with an eight-hour miniseries based on the Kennedy family, the Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

'24''s Joel Surnow will helm 'The Kennedys,' with Stephen Kronish set to pen all eight episodes. Currently, the miniseries is set to air in spring 2011, and will pit the events of the early '60s (among them the Bay of Pigs, the Cubin Missile Crisis) as a backdrop to the more private relationships of the former first family.

There's little question that the saga of the Kennedy family makes great TV. Whether it's a documentary or a docudrama or a TV movie, the story of one of America's most family political families is always compelling. Now The Kennedys will be a miniseries on History Channel. 24's Joel Surnow is behind the ambitious production which is earmarked for spring 2011. Two--time Emmy winning director Jon Cassar, who won for 24, will direct.

This will be the first time History Channel has delved in scripted drama, but by choosing a topic like the Kennedys, they're appealing to their viewership. In the story, the History exec noted, "The Kennedy family, from every angle, has always fascinated our viewers.