David Oyelowo to lead Showtime’s The President is Missing
Showtime has announced that Emmy and Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo (Selma, Nightingale, A Wrinkle in Time) will play the title role in the drama series The President is Missing.
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In The President is Missing, a powerless and politically aimless Vice President (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.
“David brings such enormous depth, sensitivity, and power to every role he plays,” said Gary Levine, President of Entertainment at Showtime Networks Inc. “Having him as our lead ensures that our series will have the exhilarating suspense of a political thriller along with the juicy complexity of a character drama.”
The President is Missing is written by Anthony Peckham (Invictus) wrote the adaptation. The series is executive produced by Christopher McQuarrie and Heather McQuarrie and co-executive produced by Jillian Share for Invisible Ink Productions. Peckham, Bill Clinton, James Patterson, Bill Robinson, Leopoldo Gout and Oyelowo will also executive produce.
The pilot was ordered by Showtime and is currently in pre-production with filming scheduled to begin in 2020.
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The series is based on the bestselling novel by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson, which was the No. 1 novel of 2018 and has sold over 2.3 million copies in North America alone.