New First Looks at Michael Fassbender For Netflix’s ‘Kennedy’ As Filming Moves to Liverpool

PIX BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX 

We’ve got another exciting update for one of Netflix’s most highly anticipated upcoming prestige period dramas. If you’ve been eagerly following our coverage of the upcoming Kennedy series, you’re in for a treat. We have some stunning new behind-the-scenes photos of Michael Fassbender fully transformed into the formidable patriarch, Joe Kennedy Sr. These are some of the first behind-the-scenes shots following Netflix’s official shot posted a few weeks back. 

Production has been well underway, and these latest snaps show the cast and crew hard at work in the UK. Specifically, filming for these scenes took place right next to the iconic Liver Building in Liverpool, which is doing an absolutely fantastic job doubling for 1940s America. Filming has been ongoing since early January throughout the UK, primarily in London, but today the production ventured up to Liverpool.  

 The streets of Liverpool have been completely transformed. One of the photos highlights a row of pristine, vintage 1940s taxi cabs—one a vibrant yellow and red, the other yellow and black—parked along the street, perfectly setting the mid-century American scene.

Production will continue throughout Spring and into the summer with a planned wrap date preliminary set for June 5th, 2026. 

As a reminder of what you can expect from the series:

“KENNEDY reveals the intimate lives, loves, rivalries and tragedies that shaped the most iconic dynasty in modern history, and helped create the world we live in today. Beginning in the 1930s, the first season charts the improbable ascent of Joe and Rose Kennedy and their nine children, including rebellious second son Jack, who struggles to escape the shadow of his golden boy older brother.”

Just Fassbender was spotted on set today, but as a reminder, some of his co-stars include: Sr., Laura Donnelly as Rose Kennedy, Nick Robinson as Joe Kennedy Jr., and Joshua Melnick as Jack Kennedy. They are supported by an expansive ensemble of recurring roles bringing family members and major historical figures to life, including Georgina Bitmead (Eunice Kennedy), Lydia Peckham (Rosemary Kennedy), and Saura Lightfoot-Leon alongside Miley Locke (Kick Kennedy and Younger Kick Kennedy, respectively).

The series is heavily populated with iconic mid-century figures, featuring Toby Huss as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert Welling as Winston Churchill, Robin Soans as Neville Chamberlain, Wyatt Russell as Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Marsan as J. Edgar Hoover, Caitlin FitzGerald as Clare Boothe Luce, and Imogen Poots as Gloria Swanson. Rounding out the sweeping recurring cast are Cole Doman as Lem Billings, Patrick Fischler as Arthur Krock, Hera Hilmar as Inga Arvad, Louis Landau as Billy Cavendish, Ben Miles as Eddie Moore, Denis O’Hare as Raymond Furness, and Tipper Seifert-Cleveland as Younger Tipper Seifert-Cleveland.

Let’s dive into these brand-new set photos and see what we can glean from the incredible period details!

Breaking Down the New Set Photos

The costume and set design departments are clearly pulling out all the stops to recreate the era, with Fassbender similarly dressed the part. 

Fassbender’s Transformation: In the photos, Fassbender is sporting a crisp grey overcoat, a dark fedora, a patterned tie, and distinct, round wire-rimmed glasses. He looks every bit the wealthy, influential patriarch. In a few of the shots, he’s seen holding cash and what looks like a wallet, interacting with his surroundings.

PIX BY MARK CAMPBELL/MCPIX

A major focal point of these images is a brilliantly constructed, vintage green newsstand. Fassbender’s Joe Kennedy Sr. is seen purchasing a newspaper, handing over cash to the vendor. If you look closely at the newsstand’s sandwich board, there is a massive historical clue about the timeline of this scene. The New York Post headline reads: “Roosevelt Says ‘SITUATION ON BEACH IS TENSE – WE PRAY’.” This is a direct reference to World War II, expected to point toward the tense days of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

The Extras and Co-stars: Surrounding Fassbender are background actors and co-stars dressed impeccably in 1940s fashion. We see men in sharp pinstriped and navy double-breasted suits smoking cigarettes, women in elegant, structured coats and stylish hats carrying portfolios and handbags, and even some military personnel in naval uniforms passing in the background.

Are you excited to see Michael Fassbender take on the role of Joe Kennedy Sr.? Let us know in the comments down below, and here’s some more of the snaps!