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The President is Missing, the upcoming Showtime show from Bill Clinton and James Patterson‘s book by the same title, is officially not moving forward.

The show was supposed to be on Showtime, but the star of the series Ann Dowd revealed the news and the reason being a “combination of COVID-19 and current political events.”

“[Production] stopped midway and then because of the pandemic, the relevance of it, things needed to be changed in the writing because of what happens to the President. It just wouldn’t have worked. It would have had to have been re-conceived,” Ann told Variety.

If you missed it, a bunch of other TV shows have also been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Find out which shows won’t be returning.

David Oyelowo has been cast in the upcoming Showtime series The President is Missing, which is an adaptation of the novel by Bill Clinton and James Patterson.

The 43-year-old Selma actor has been cast as the title character for the new series. Showtime has ordered a pilot, which will be shot in 2020.

In The President Is Missing, a powerless and politically aimless Vice President (Oyelowo) unexpectedly becomes President halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by both friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.

The book was the number one novel of 2018 with over 2.3 million copies sold in North America alone.

“David brings such enormous depth, sensitivity and power to every role he plays,” Showtime co-president Gary Levine said in a statement. “Having him as our lead ensures that our series will have the exhilarating suspense of a political thriller along with the juicy complexity of a character drama.”

Former President Bill Clinton is set to publish his first novel, “The President is Missing,” a book that he is co-writing with author James Patterson!

There are not many details known about the plot of the book, but it has been noted that the president featured in the story is completely fictional.

“Working on a book about a sitting President – drawing on what I know about the job, life in the White House, and the way Washington works – has been a lot of fun,” Clinton said in a statement (via THR). “And working with Jim has been terrific. I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time.”

“I’m a storyteller, and President Clinton’s insight has allowed us to tell a really interesting one. It’s a rare combination – readers will be drawn to the suspense, of course, but they’ll also be given an inside look into what it’s like to be President,” Patterson said, adding that working with Clinton has been the “highlight” of his career.

The book will be published jointly by Knopf and Hachette, both of the guys’ publishers.