Viola Davis to Star as Michelle Obama in ‘First Ladies’

Viola Davis will star as Michelle Obama in the upcoming Showtime series First Ladies. Coming from The Guardian, the report says that the Oscar-winning actor will also be an executive producer on the show.

Written by Aaron Cooley, the show will explore both the private and political lives of the first ladies of history. Season one will explore Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

It seems that the intentions of the project is to look into a different element of The White House. As the report says:

“…the show will be set in the east rather than west wing and will show how many game-changing decisions were made hidden from view.”

Viola Davis will be producing this project alongside her husband Julius Tennon through their production company JuVee Productions. The studio has important ambitions as Davis herself said in another report to The Guardian last year, as she hopes it will:

“shift the pendulum because it’s changing the narrative for people of colour”

What is clear, is that this series will be more than an observation into politics; it will be political itself. Will this lose some of the focus the stories on display could have? I’m unsure. While it is certainly an opportunity to deliver a powerful message, a lack of bias when observing these stories may be what the show truly needs. This is merely musing of a curious reporter, however, the show could be excellent!

Davis is friends with the former first lady, giving the actor a chance to share Obama’s story.

The show is being fast-tracked into production and will definitely be something worth looking into as we wait for a release date.

Are you interested in the project? Think Davis is a good fit for the role? Let us know!

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