‘The First Lady’: O-T Fagbenle To Play Barack Obama In Showtime Anthology Series

O-T Fagbenle is set to play President Barack Obama opposite Viola Davis’ Michelle Obama in Showtime’s anthology series The First Lady, headlined by Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson. Davis executive produces, the series, directed and executive produced by Susanne Bier and produced by Lionsgate TV and Showtime.

The First Lady, created by Aaron Cooley, is a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Season 1 focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt (Anderson), Betty Ford (Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama.

More from Deadline

• Gillian Anderson To Star As Eleanor Roosevelt In 'The First Lady' Showtime Limited Series

• With Ambitious Paramount+ Launch, ViacomCBS Targets 65 Million-75 Million Streaming Subs By 2024

• 'Ray Donovan' To Return With Feature-Length Film, Liev Schreiber Back & Will Co-Write Script, With Showrunner David Hollander To Direct

Barack Hussein Obama II served as the first African American and 44th president of the United States from 2009-17. A member of the Democratic Party, Barack married Michelle Robinson Obama in 1992 before he became an Illinois state senator in 2005. Barack and Michelle are the parents of Malia and Sasha Obama.

Fagbenle, who will be recurring, joins fellow co-stars Aaron Eckhart, Rhys Wakefield, Judy Greer, Jayme Lawson and Kristine Froseth.

2020-21 Showtime Pilots & Series Orders

Cooley and Bier executive produce the series along with Davis, Julius Tennon and Andrew Wang via JuVee Productions, Cathy Schulman via her Welle Entertainment, Jeff Gaspin via Gaspin Media, Brad Kaplan via Link Entertainment.

Fagbenle is known for his work in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. He next can be seen co-starring opposite Scarlett Johansson in Marvel’s Black Widow, which is slated for release in May. In April 2020, Fagbenle became the first person to create, write, direct, compose, executive produce and star in the pilot of a television series broadcast on a major network with his original TV show Maxxx (Channel 4, Hulu). The multi-hyphenate currently has drama, comedy and non-scripted content in development. He is repped by Buchwald and Curtis Brown Group in London as well as attorney Barry Littman at Hansen Jacobson Teller.

Best of Deadline

• U.S. Covid-19 Update: Nation Records 500,000 Deaths Due To Pandemic; Larger Than Combined Toll From WWII, Korean War And Vietnam

• Coronavirus: Movies That Have Halted Or Delayed Production Amid Outbreak

• Hong Kong Filmart Postponed Due To Coronavirus Fears; Event Moves Two Weeks Before Toronto

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.