Showtime Acquires Rights to Bill Clinton-James Patterson Novel ‘The President Is Missing’

Showtime has acquired the rights to adapt “The President Is Missing,” the upcoming novel by former President Clinton and James Patterson. The proposed new drama, which is be published in June 2018, tells the story of a sitting U.S. president’s disappearance, with the level of detail that only someone who has held the office can know. At least eight different outlets reportedly bid on the project.

“Bringing The President Is Missing to Showtime is a coup of the highest order,” Showtime Networks president and CEO David Nevins said. “The pairing of President Clinton with fiction’s most gripping storyteller promises a kinetic experience, one that the book world has salivated over for months and that now will dovetail perfectly into a politically relevant, character-based action series for our network.”

“The White House is such an exciting world to explore and is made even more so with the unique insights of a former President,” added Patterson. “Rich storytelling opportunities for this series abound.”