Viola Davis to star in Showtime’s ‘First Ladies‘ drama as Michelle Obama. Davis will also executive produce the project with her husband, Julius Tennon.
Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt to be Featured on Season 1
With a 3-episode commitment, “First Ladies’ has been put on a fast-track development at Showtime. Announcing their first casting, and it’s a biggie, the part of Michelle Obama will be played by Viola Davis!
Set in the West Wing of the White House, Season 1 will follow the actions of former first ladies, Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Sharing Executive Producing are –
- Viola Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, via JuVee Productions
- Aaron Cooley (also author and scriptwriter)
- Cathy Schulman via Welle Entertainment
- Jeff Gaspin via Gaspin Media and
- Brad Kaplan via LINK Entertainment
According to the The Hollywood Reporter, the series will peel back the curtain on the “personal and political lives of our most enigmatic heroes.” Originating with Schulman, the idea for the series was inspired by a spec script Cooley had written about Lady Bird Johnson, as reported by Deadline.
Dedicated to making female facing content, the series will look at American history presidencies through a female lens — the first ladies.
Coming entirely from the public domain, material for First Ladies promises to be very personable.