Both Barack and Michelle Obama are back in action and are getting to your Netflix queue faster than you think!
The power couple is developing a Netflix series “based on the chaotic change of power that occurred when Donald Trump became president in 2016,” according to Vanity Fair. The title of the series is “The G-word with Adam Conover,” and it will be “part documentary, part comedy sketch,” which may have a “Documentary Now!
The “G-word” is government, and Deadline noted that the series will investigate whether it is “a dirty word or a trusted institution.
ATTN @adamconover hive: Get ready for an original series that pulls back the curtain on government. The G-word with Adam Conover comes to Netflix! pic.twitter.com/V43dmUgh3b
– Netflix is a joke (@NetflixIsAJoke) November 19, 2020
The G Word will be a collaboration between comedian Conover (host of truTV’s Adam Ruins Everything) and the Obamas’ production company Higher Ground Productions.
The comedy is based on Michael Lewis’ 2018 book The Fifth Risk, which describes the chaotic presidential transition between President Obama and Trump in the energy, agriculture and trade departments. The Obamas acquired the rights to the book in 2018.
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Lewis told Katie Couric that the series would serve as “a lesson in civics,” via Deadline: “I did three departments because it would be the work of many lives to do the whole government, but you could do it in a fun way across the government,” he explained.
This is not the first book-to-screen adaptation for Lewis; his books Moneyball and The Big Short both received Hollywood treatment in 2011 and 2015 respectively.
Production is expected to start in early 2021. Cast details have yet to be announced.
The Obamas and their company, Higher Ground Productions, signed an extensive contract with Netflix in 2018, as shown in the Variety The multi-year contract included scripted and non-scripted series, as well as documentary series, documentaries and feature films, “We hope to promote and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices that are capable of fostering greater empathy and understanding between peoples and helping them share their stories with the world,” Barack Obama said at the time.
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Among the projects in which the Obamas will be involved, according to Elle, are the film American Factory, the fashion series Bloom, a film adaptation of the novel Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, and an anthology series on New York Times obituaries entitled Overlooked.
“We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling. That’s why we couldn’t be more enthusiastic about these projects,” Obama said in a statement when he announced the upcoming project list. “Because they touch on issues such as race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe that each of these productions will not only entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire us all.
