Halle Berry to play U.S. President in gender-swapped movie adaptation of Bill Clinton novel
Written by WorldOneFm on January 28, 2026
Halle Berry is set to play the U.S. President in the movie adaptation of former leader Bill Clinton’s 2018 novel.
The Oscar-winning actress has been tapped to star as President Joanna Duncan, a gender-swapped take on the original character, President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan, in Apple’s upcoming movie adaptation of The President Is Missing.
The political thriller, based on the best-selling book by former U.S. President Clinton and famed author James Patterson, is being produced by Berry and her producing partner Holly Jeter via their HalleHolly banner, as well as Clinton and Patterson, among others.
When a terrorist threatens an attack so lethal it will return the United States to the dark ages, the only person who can stop him is President Joanna Duncan – but first she has to elude her own secret service and escape the confines of the White House in a gambit to save the world single-handedly.
Berry shared Deadline’s article about HalleHolly’s upcoming film and TV slate and expressed her excitement about their projects.
“New chapter unlocked,” she wrote on Instagram. “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!”
Clinton and Patterson originally looked to turn their novel into a movie. However, it was initially set to be a series at Showtime, with David Oyelowo starring as the president, but production was ultimately cancelled due to the pandemic.
The adaptation has now been revived at Apple, with Guardians of the Galaxy’s Nicole Perlman and CIA’s David Chasteen writing the script.
