Hillary Clinton is taking her political know-how to the small screen.
The former secretary of state and first lady is teaming up with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television to adapt Elaine Weiss’ book “The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote.” The TV project marks Clinton’s first time executive producing.
Weiss’ book, published in March, follows the story of the activists who led the decades-long fight to bring women the right to vote and reveals just how close the battle to ratify the 19th Amendment was. “An inspiring story, ‘The Woman’s Hour,’ celebrates those who changed history and laid the foundation for the civil rights movement that came decades later,” a press release from Amblin states.
Amblin optioned the rights to the book, and plans to adapt it as a “long-form project for premium cable or streaming platforms.” There is currently no writer attached to the project.
“At the heart of democracy lies the ballot box, and Elaine Weiss’s unforgettable book tells the story of the female leaders who– in the face of towering economic, racial, and political opposition – fought for and won American women’s right to vote,” Clinton said in a statement. “Unfolding over six-weeks in the summer of 1920, ‘The Woman’s Hour’ is both a page-turning drama and an inspiration for everyone, young and old, male and female, in these perilous times. So much could have gone wrong, but these American women would not take no for an answer: their triumph is our legacy to guard and emulate.”
“I am thrilled to be working with Elaine, Steven and everyone at Amblin Television on bringing this important project to audiences everywhere,” she added.
Clinton will executive produce the adaptation with Amblin TV co-presidents Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey and author/journalist Weiss.
Clinton is represented by Robert Barnett and Michael O’Connor at Williams & Connolly LLP and Steven Burkow at Ziffren Brittenham. Weiss is represented by William Morris Endeavor.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.