Well here’s one way to get your feet wet.
According to author
Michael Lewis, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady
Michelle Obama have acquired rights to his nonfiction book The Fifth
Risk for adaptation, the first project that the couple would put into
development under the Netflix production deal they secured earlier
this year. Deadline first reported the news.
EW can confirm that
in an interview with Katie Couric on her podcast, Lewis has revealed
that the Obamas optioned The Fifth Risk, and that the goal is to, in
Couric’s words, “come up with a series for Netflix to help people
better understand the government.” The episode is scheduled to go
live on Thursday.
Netflix declined to
comment. Representatives for The Fifth Risk did not respond to a
request for comment. Additionally, EW has learned that the Obamas are
exploring projects, but nothing has been “green-lit” at this
stage.
What exactly is The
Fifth Risk, you may ask? In a year filled with splashy Trump
takedowns in the book world, it ranks among the most scathing takes
on the president’s tenure thus far, interweaving research and
interviews to paint an alarming portrait of an administration whose
unpreparedness and incompetence have put the government’s stability
and functionality in grave danger. He particularly indicts the
alleged brand of politics and ignorance behind Trump’s stewardship
of such vital agencies as the Department of Energy, the NOAA, and the
USDA. “The book is a brilliant indictment of Trump and his
appointees’ foolhardy ignorance of what federal agencies actually
do and how,” USA Today wrote in its review earlier this month.
Lewis, it’s worth
noting, is no stranger to Hollywood. As he proves again in The Fifth
Risk, he has a knack for rendering even the wonkiest material not
only accessible, but wildly entertaining. His books Moneyball and The
Big Short, of course, were turned into movies that scored Oscar
nominations for Best Picture, with the latter also winning the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The Fifth Risk is a
relatively sober read, yet still written with the enthusiasm and
clarity which Lewis is known for. The book published on Oct. 2, and
promptly landed on the New York Times best-seller list.
As for the Obamas:
Plenty of intrigue has surrounded the announcement of their huge
Netflix pact, which came back in May. But there’s been no news on
what they’d use the platform for, exactly — until now.
Meanwhile, Michelle
Obama is gearing up for the release of her own book. Obama’s memoir
Becoming publishes next month, and she’ll be promoting its release
on a star-studded tour beginning in Chicago.