Actress Viola Davis has signed on to play former First Lady Michelle Obama in a series titled “First Ladies, which is in the works at Showtime, reports Variety.
The network has given the prospective one-hour drama a three-script commitment, with novelist Aaron Cooley on board to write and executive produce. The series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama.
“First Ladies” will turn it lens on the East Wing of the White House, as opposed to the West, where many of history’s most impactful and world changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America’s charismatic, complex and dynamic First Ladies. Michelle Obama has been portrayed on film before, but never on television. She was notably played by Tika Sumpter in the 2016 picture “Southside With You.”
The Obamas are making the leap into content production themselves via their recently launched Higher Ground Productions. So far, the company’s originals slate is staying away from anything directly involving politics, with “Bloom,” an upstairs/downstairs drama series set in the world of fashion in post-WWII New York City, and a feature film adaptation of author David W. Blight’s “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” high up on the list.
