See Viola Davis as Michelle Obama for in upcoming series

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See first glimpse of Viola Davis as Michelle Obama in upcoming 'The First Lady' series

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 11/8/21

Viola Davis is an incredibly powerful woman, and former first lady Michelle Obama is an incredibly powerful woman.

Showtime has managed to combine their mystical forces in a forthcoming anthology series titled, appropriately, "The First Lady," in which Davis portrays Obama. Gillian Anderson and Michelle Pfeiffer are also playing the late former first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford, respectively.

Entertainment Weekly provided a first look at Davis as Obama on Monday morning.

See Viola Davis as Michelle Obama in 'The First Lady' — plus, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt. https://t.co/txM2Gve5fs
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) November 8, 2021

More exclusive photos of Davis in character, plus Anderson as Roosevelt and Pfeiffer as Ford, can be seen here.

Davis was first attached to the role in February 2020, simultaneous with the hour-long drama receiving a first-season order from Showtime.

"I feel very protective of Michelle," Davis told EW. "It's our job as actors not to judge whoever we are portraying, but I ended up thinking she's just dope."

"In the East Wing of the White House, 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," Showtime's official website explains. "This series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of three unique, enigmatic women, tracing their journeys to Washington through interweaving storylines with an enlightening intimacy, with season one focusing on Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt."

"The First Lady" is set for a spring 2022 debut.

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