Steven Spielberg And Hillary Clinton Teaming For 'The Woman's Hour' TV Series
Steven Spielberg and Hillary Clinton, two people I'm positive you've heard of before, are teaming up for a new TV series. The duo will produce an adaptation of Elaine Weiss' recently published book The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote. More on The Woman's Hour TV series below.THR has the scoop on Steven Spielberg and Hillary Clinton joining forces for the TV series about women's suffrage. Elaine Weiss' book was published early this year, and has garnered rave reviews. Here's the synopsis of the book, which is described as "The nail-biting climax of one of the greatest political battles in American history: the ratification of the constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote."
Nashville, August 1920. Thirty-five states have ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, twelve have rejected or refused to vote, and one last state is needed. It all comes down to Tennessee, the moment of truth for the suffragists, after a seven-decade crusade. The opposing forces include politicians with careers at stake, liquor companies, railroad magnates, and a lot of racists who don't want black women voting. And then there are the "Antis"–women who oppose their own enfranchisement, fearing suffrage will bring about the moral collapse of the nation. They all converge in a boiling hot summer for a vicious face-off replete with dirty tricks, betrayals and bribes, bigotry, Jack Daniel's, and the Bible.
Following a handful of remarkable women who led their respective forces into battle, along with appearances by Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Frederick Douglass, and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Woman's Hour is an inspiring story of activists winning their own freedom in one of the last campaigns forged in the shadow of the Civil War, and the beginning of the great twentieth-century battles for civil rights.
"At the heart of democracy lies the ballot box, and Elaine Weiss' unforgettable book tells the story of the female leaders who — in the face of towering economic, racial and political opposition — fought for and won American women's right to vote," Clinton said. "Unfolding over six weeks in the summer of 1920, The Woman's Hour is both a page-turning drama and an inspiration for everyone, young and old, male and female, in these perilous times. So much could have gone wrong, but these American women would not take no for an answer: their triumph is our legacy to guard and emulate. I am thrilled to be working with Elaine, Steven and everyone at Amblin Television on bringing this important project to audiences everywhere."
Spielberg's Amblin Partners have optioned the book, and now plan to shop it around to major networks. Clinton will produce along with Amblin's Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey and author Weiss. THR adds that Clinton will "be actively involved in the search for a writer and eventually the script, director and casting."