Kim Allen to play Jackie Kennedy in movie on Lyndon Johnson

Los Angeles: "Army Wives" actress Kim Allen has been cast as Jackie Kennedy in an upcoming film based on the 36th US president Lyndon B Johnson.

Helmed by Rob Reiner and starring Woody Harrelson as eponymous president, Joey Hartstone's script depicts Johnson assuming the office in the wake of President John F Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and the uneasy political scene of the time, through his signing the Civil Rights Act.

Richard Jenkins and Bill Pullman are also in the film. Production is slated to begin next month in Texas, reported Entertainment Weekly.

First Lady Jackie Kennedy was in the car when her husband, John, was shot and killed in Dallas. She flew back to Washington DC with Johnson and was present for his swearing into the office. Until her death in 1994, she remained a prominent and beloved figure.

Allen, 33, has a small resume to date. She led the Oscar-winning short film "Curfew" and appeared in one episode of "The Carrie Diaries" in 2013.