Viola Davis Will Portray Michelle Obama In Showtime Drama

Showtime has given a straight-to-series order to First Ladies, a one-hour drama whose first series stars Viola Davis as former first lady Michelle Obama.

According to Deadline, Davis will also serve as executive producer on the project, which was put on fast-track development at Showtime last August with a three-script commitment.

Written by Aaron Cooley (novels Four Seats: A Thriller of the Supreme Court, The Guns of Ridgewood), First Ladies is set in the East Wing of the White House, a place where many historical and impactful decisions have been made by first ladies hidden from view. Deadline reports the series will reveal the personal and political lives of our most enigmatic heroes, with Season 1 focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama.

Throughout our history, presidents’ spouses have wielded remarkable influence, not only on the nation’s leaders but on the country itself.” Jana Winograde, President of Entertainment at Showtime Networks said of the series. “First Ladies fits perfectly within the Showtime wheelhouse of drama and politics, revealing how much personal relationships impact both domestic and global events. Having Viola Davis play Michelle Obama is a dream come true, and we couldn’t be luckier to have her extraordinary talent to help launch this series.”

Cooley will executive produce First Ladies along with Davis and Hulius Tennon via their JuVee Productions, Cathy Schulman via Welle Entertainment, Jeff Gaspin via Gaspin Media and Brad Kaplan via LINK Entertainment.

No word yet on when the series will debut on Showtime.