First Ladies: Viola Davis to play 'powerful queen' Michelle Obama in new TV series

Actor couldn't hide her excitement about the role

Former First Lady Michelle Obama is about to be immortalised on-screen in a television show for the first time ever.

A forthcoming Showtime series will tell the story of three different First Ladies throughout the ages​, with Viola Davis cast as Obama.

Expressing her excitement on Twitter, the Widows star wrote: “Sooo proud!!! Honouring and elevating these powerful, worthy Queens with respect.”

Along with Obama, the series will also centre around Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford, who served during the presidencies of Franklin Roosevelt and Gerald Ford.

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

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

Although former First Lady Obama has been portrayed on screen before, by Tika Sumpter in the film Southside with You, but this will reportedly be the first time she has be depicted in a TV series.

Barack and Michelle Obama have also signed a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce their own series, films and documentaries.