Halle Berry will lead a film adaptation of former President Bill Clinton's 2018 thriller 'The President Is Missing,' reimagined with a female protagonist. The Oscar winner shared her excitement for the project on Instagram, marking a new chapter in her career. Co-authored with James Patterson, the story draws from Clinton's White House experiences to depict a cyberterrorist threat.
Halle Berry, the 59-year-old Oscar winner, is set to portray President Joanna Duncan in a gender-swapped adaptation of 'The President Is Missing.' Originally, actor David Oyelowo was attached to the project, but Berry now takes the central role. In the story, Duncan must evade her own Secret Service agents and flee the White House to thwart a deadly cyberterrorist attack single-handedly.
The novel, co-written by Bill Clinton and thriller author James Patterson in 2018, incorporates elements from Clinton's presidency. During a June 2018 NPR interview, Clinton discussed the plausibility of such threats, stating, “Yes, I think it could be done. And I think someone could take out at least one of our grids, the eastern half of the country, and simultaneously fry the transformers so you couldn’t bring it back up in a hurry. Someone could take out the bank records and, if you had a clever enough virus, simultaneously the backups.”
Berry announced the news on January 28 via Instagram, alongside other projects. In her caption, she wrote, “New chapter unlocked 💪🏽 Words can’t describe how excited I am for this second act in film and TV. ✨ @ladyjeets love you so much. You have been the best creative partner and friend I could ask for! To the moon! 🌕” The post credits Holly Jeter, president of their joint production company HalleHolly.
This adaptation highlights Berry's ongoing pivot to diverse roles, including producing through her company. While the U.S. has not yet elected a female president, the film offers a fictional glimpse into such leadership amid high-stakes global peril.
