While it’s increasingly likely that a former First Lady is about to be President of the United States, a TV series about famous presidential wives is also bubbling up. Robin Wright, who plays the First Lady on the Netflix series House of Cards, is signing on to direct and produce a TV series adaptation of the Kate Anderson Brower bestseller First Women: The Grace & Power of America’s Modern First Ladies. The book is an intimate look at the lives (and struggles) of this country’s First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama.
Per Deadline, Reese Witherspoon’s Pacific Standard and Anonymous Content are teaming up to bring the series to fruition, with Wright attached to direct the pilot and serve as executive producer. Wright has experience directing as she made her debut on House of Cards, following in the footsteps of David Fincher who set the tone for that series. She has since directed seven episodes of the series, and now it appears she’s keen on setting the stage for a show of her own.
Brower’s book covers, in depth, the difficulty of navigating the underestimated position of First Lady by delving into specific lives of Jackie Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Patricia Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. It certainly provides a fruitful foundation for a potential TV series, especially if each episode (or handful of episodes) focuses on a different first lady. That could result in wooing some highly esteemed actresses to delve into the TV world to bring these powerful women to life, as well as an opportunity for female filmmakers to stretch their talents.
The series is not yet set up at a network, but one expects it’ll be snatched up sooner rather than later. Could it be headed to Netflix, Wright’s home? Or will a prestigious network like HBO pick this one up? Time will tell, but this is a mighty promising project that I hope comes to fruition in the near future.
Here’s the official description for Brower’s book:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the groundbreaking backstairs look at the White House, The Residence, comes an intimate, news-making look at the true modern power brokers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: the First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama.
One of the most underestimated—and challenging—positions in the world, the First Lady of the United States must be many things: an inspiring leader with a forward-thinking agenda of her own; a savvy politician, skilled at navigating the treacherous rapids of Washington; a wife and mother operating under constant scrutiny; and an able CEO responsible for the smooth operation of countless services and special events at the White House. Now, as she did in her smash #1 bestseller The Residence, former White House correspondent Kate Andersen Brower draws on a wide array of untapped, candid sources—from residence staff and social secretaries to friends and political advisers—to tell the stories of the ten remarkable women who have defined that role since 1960.
Brower offers new insights into this privileged group of remarkable women, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Patricia Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. The stories she shares range from the heartwarming to the shocking and tragic, exploring everything from the first ladies’ political crusades to their rivalries with Washington figures; from their friendships with other first ladies to their public and private relationships with their husbands. She also offers a detailed and insightful new portrait of one of the most-watched first ladies of all time, Hillary Clinton, asking what her tumultuous years in the White House may tell us about her own historic presidential run . . . and what life could be like with the nation’s first First Husband.
Candid and illuminating, this first group biography of the modern first ladies provides a revealing look at life upstairs and downstairs at the world’s most powerful address.
via Collider
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