Barack and Michelle Obama set ‘The Fifth Risk,’ Frederick Douglass biopic among initial Netflix projects – AOL - Superstar Biduut Daas

Higher Ground Productions, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company in partnership with Netflix, has unveiled an initial slate of projects that include adaptations of Michael Lewis’ “The Fifth Risk,” a Frederick Douglass biopic and a period drama penned by Callie Khouri.

The content comprises a range of scripted and unscripted projects for a range of audiences, as well as full-length features and documentaries. Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis, the co-heads of the organization, revealed the news on Tuesday.

The announcement includes seven projects that are currently in different stages of development, to be released over the next several years:

“American Factory” was acquired by Netflix in association with Higher Ground Productions out of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary. From Participant Media, the film is directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert (“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant,” “A Lion in the House,” “Seeing Red”). The film takes a deep dive into a post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant and hires 2,000 blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America. Bognar produces, alongside Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert, and Julie Parker Benello.

“Bloom” is an upstairs/downstairs drama series set in the world of fashion in post-WWII New York City that depicts barriers faced by women and by people of color in an era characterized by both hurdles and progress. It is written and executive produced by Khouri (“Nashville,” “Thelma and Louise”), from an idea developed by Khouri, writer-director Clement Virgo (“The Book Of Negroes,” “The Wire,” “Empire”) and novelist and producer Juliana Maio (“City of the Sun”). Higher Ground Productions, Khouri, Virgo and Maio will executive produce the series.

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Former President George W. Bush (L) holds hands with first lady Michelle Obama during a memorial service following the multiple police shootings in Dallas, Texas, U.S., July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

US President George W. Bush greets President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle (C) as they arrive to the White House in Washington, November 10, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Bourg (UNITED STATES)

First lady Michelle Obama kisses former President George W. Bush as he shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama after Bush spoke at a memorial service for five policemen killed last week in a sniper attack in Dallas, Texas July 12, 2016. At left is former first lady Laura Bush. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

U.S. President George W. Bush greets U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (L) on the North Portico of the White House in Washington, January 20, 2009. First lady Laura Bush is second from left, and Michelle Obama is at right. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

Former first lady Laura Bush ( from L to R), former president George W. Bush, first lady Michelle Obama, U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA) participate in a commemoration at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, March 7, 2015. Obama called on Americans to carry forward the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement on Saturday during a visit to Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a march that sparked the 1965 Voting Rights Act. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES – Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY)

(L-R) Former U.S. first lady Laura Bush and former president George W. Bush join current first lady Michelle Obama and U.S. President Barack Obama for a commemoration at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, March 7, 2015. With a nod to ongoing U.S. racial tension and threats to voting rights, Obama declared the work of the Civil Rights Movement advanced but unfinished on Saturday during a visit to the Alabama bridge that spawned a landmark voting law. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES – Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) poses alongside former U.S. President George W. Bush, former first lady Laura Bush and first lady Michelle Obama after the Bushs’ official White House portraits were unveiled during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington May 31, 2012. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES – Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY)

U.S. President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, former president George W. Bush (2nd L) and Laura Bush salute the flag during tenth anniversary ceremonies at the National September 11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site in New York, September 11, 2011. The 9/11 attacks changed life in the United States forever, but 10 years after the devastating hit, New Yorkers have learned to live in a more dangerous world and are ready to move on. REUTERS/Allan Tannenbaum/Pool (UNITED STATES)

U.S. President George W. Bush (R) kisses Michelle Obama on the North Portico of the White House in Washington January 20, 2009. First lady Laura Bush (L) and President-elect Barack Obama chat prior to going inside the White House. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

Former president George W. Bush (L) and First Lady Michelle Obama talk during a memorial service following the multiple police shootings in Dallas, Texas, U.S., July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

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Higher Ground is producing a feature film adaptation of author David W. Blight’s “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom,” for which he won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in History.

Adapted from the New York Times’ obituary column Overlooked, telling the stories of remarkable people whose deaths were not reported by the newspaper, Higher Ground is developing “Overlooked” as a scripted anthology series with producers Liza Chasin of 3dot Productions and Joy Gorman Wettels of Anonymous Content.

For family programming, “Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents” will be a half-hour preschool series from creators Jeremy Konner (“Drunk History”) and Erika Thormahlen. The show will take young children and their families around the globe on an adventure that tells us the story of our food.

From Lewis, the author of “The Big Short” and “Moneyball,” and based on his book “The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy,” “Fifth Risk,” a non-fiction series, will portray the importance of unheralded work done by everyday heroes guiding our government and safeguarding our nation.

“Crip Camp” is a feature-length documentary film in production that is supported by the Sundance Institute and acquired earlier this year by Higher Ground and Netflix. Just down the road from Woodstock, in the early 1970s, a parallel revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities that would set in motion the disability rights movement. The film is directed by former camper Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham. Producers include Newnham, LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, with executive producer Howard Gertler.

The Obamas launched Higher Ground last spring, and the company expects to make additional project announcements in the coming months.

“We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited about these projects,” Barack Obama said. “Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect, and inspire us all.”

“We love this slate because it spans so many different interests and experiences, yet it’s all woven together with stories that are relevant to our daily lives,” Michelle Obama said. “We think there’s something here for everyone—moms and dads, curious kids, and anyone simply looking for an engaging, uplifting watch at the end of a busy day. We can’t wait to see these projects come to life — and the conversations they’ll generate.”

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