Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will serve as the inspiration for an upcoming Netflix series, which crafted the story based on her ill-fated attempted to defeat Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “the streamer, which already has an overall deal and multiple projects in the works with the Obamas, has won a multiple-outlet bidding war for ‘The Girls on the Bus,’ a drama series inspired by a chapter from New York Times journalist Amy Chozick’s novel ‘Chasing Hillary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns and One Intact Glass Ceiling.'”
After a considerable bidding war, Netflix acquired the rights to Chozick’s book. “This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me,” she said in response to the new series.
Though the series will not be a direct adaptation of Chozick’s book, Netflix said the show would “follow the every move of a parade of flawed presidential candidates, finding friendship, love, and a scandal that could take down not just the presidency but our entire democracy along the way.”
New York Magazine in 2018 said Chozick’s memoir of the failed presidential campaign would “piss off both sides” by what it contained:
Chozick spent a decade of her life — from her late 20s to late 30s — covering Hillary Clinton, first for The Wall Street Journal during the 2008 election and then for the New York Times for 2016. Now she’s written a memoir about the period, Chasing Hillary — a sort-of Bridget Jones’s Diary meets What it Takes coming-of-age rom-com set on the campaign trail, with a tragic twist at the end (spoiler alert: Clinton lost). “I’m sure it’s going to piss off [both sides],” Chozick says. “I’m bracing for that.”
The series comes amid Netflix’s recent deal with the Obamas and their production company Higher Ground, which will be developing a variety of content for the streaming empire, from scripted to non-scripted series along with documentary films. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said that Higher Ground will express the Obamas’ “core values,” hailing their slate as a symbol of their commitment to “diverse creators and unique voices.”
“President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and the Higher Ground team are building a company focused on storytelling that exemplifies their core values,” Sarandos said. “The breadth of their initial slate across series, film, documentary, and family programming shows their commitment to diverse creators and unique voices that will resonate with our members around the world.”
In May of last year, Netflix announced it would be adding to its board of directors former Obama administration United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice.
“We are delighted to welcome Ambassdor Rice to the Netflix board,” said Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings at the time. “For decades, she has tackled difficult, complex global issues with intelligence, integrity and insight and we look forward to benefiting from her experience and wisdom.”
Former Ambassador Rice said she was “thrilled” to be joining the “cutting-edge” company.
“I am thrilled to be joining the board of directors of Netflix, a cutting-edge company whose leadership, high-quality productions, and unique culture I deeply admire,” said former Ambassador Rice.