Jayme Lawson, star of Farewell Amor and Warner Bros.’ upcoming The Batman, has landed a role in Showtime’s anthology limited series, First Ladies. She joins Viola Davis, as Davis is playing a modern Michelle Obama while Lawson will play her from 15 to 30.
According to the exclusive Variety report, “The series begins with Obama as a young woman in Chicago and follows her as a Harvard undergraduate and Princeton Law School student, eventually marrying Barack Obama in 1992.”
Also announced so far is Michelle Pfeiffer, who will star as Betty Ford. Kristine Froseth will play the younger Ford.
The project is written by Aaron Cooley with Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions, Cathy Schulman’s Welle Entertainment, Gaspin Media and Brad Kaplan producing. Showtime and Lionsgate TV are co-producers.
Here’s the description: First Ladies is set in the East Wing of the White House, 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. The series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of our most enigmatic heroes, with season one focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama. Davis is set to star as Obama in the first season.
The idea for the series came from Schulman, inspired by a spec script Cooley wrote about Lady Bird Johnson. All of the source material comes from the public domain.
