Actress Viola Davis is to play former US first lady Michelle Obama in an upcoming TV show.

Academy award winner Davis expressed her excitement via Twitter, saying: “Sooo proud!!! Honoring and elevating these powerful, worthy Queens with respect. Go #TeamJuVee!!!”

This will not be the first time the former first lady has been portrayed in a TV drama. The film Southside With You dramatised her first date with former president Barack Obama.

First Ladies is a production that will retell the stories of different First Ladies throughout the ages, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford, who were the First Ladies during Franklin Roosevelt’s and Gerald Ford’s presidencies.

Jana Winograde, Showtime President of Entertainment calls the casting a “dream come true”.

She continues: “First Ladies fits perfectly within the Showtime wheelhouse of drama and politics, revealing how much personal relationships impact both domestic and global events.”

First Ladies will be produced by LA-based company JuVee Productions. JuVee develops and produces independent film, theatre, television and digital content.