Barack Obama lost Will Smith film on Richard Williams but signed Denzel Washington to Netflix deal

Barack Obama has officially traded the West Wing for the wild, wild west – and is having mixed results.

In his new role as a Netflix producer alongside his wife Michelle, the former commander-in-chief has successfully landed one major film but failed to win the rights to an even bigger one.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Obama has managed to woo Denzel Washington for the streaming giant but was rejected by Will Smith, whose film about Richard Williams he hoped to produce under his Higher Ground banner.

Meanwhile, employees say that Obama is disarming, easy to deal with in meetings and enjoys making small talk whenever he stops by the office.

But unlike his fellow employees, Obama uses an underground tunnel the stretches from the parking garage to the office when he shows up for work.

Win some: Barack Obama signed Denzel Washington (pair above in 2009 at an inaugural ball) to a deal that will see the streaming giant release the actor’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Lose some: Obama was not successful however in his pitch to produce the upcoming film King Richard, which stars Will Smith (above with Michelle Obama at the 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards)

Obama is reportedly responsible for getting Netflix the rights to Washington’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s 1982 play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

That deal was secured after Obama ‘happened to be in [Netflix CEO Ted] Sarandos’ offices, extolling the merits of the streamer’ when the Washington came in for a meeting.

Washington has however refused to star in the production, which is part of Wilson’s ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle alongside such classics as Jitney, Fences and King Hedley II.

It is still a big win for both Obama and Netflix as Washington is one of the few Hollywood stars who has never returned to the small screen

Obama went a step further when trying to land the upcoming Will Smith film King Richard about the most unlikely, and arguably successful, coach of all time: Venus and Serena Williams’ father.

The famed orator personally spearheaded the pitch for that project, and has ties to both the film’s star and its subjects.

That was not enough to win over the King Richard team and their fresh prince star however, and they ultimately opted to sign a deal with Warner Bros. over the Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground.

Family: King Richard is about Richard Williams, the polarizing father of tennis stars Venus and Serena (above in 1998) who is arguably the greatest coach of all time

The public will get its first taste of the Obamas new venture later this month with the release of their first project, American Factory.

It will have its debut on August 21, but unlike the aforementioned titles is a documentary and not a narrative feature.

The film follows a Chinese billionaire as he opens a factory in a former General Motors plant in Detroit.

American Factory is part of a diverse and varied list of projects that offer something for viewers both young and old.

These include a preschool program about vegetables produced by one of the people behind Drunk History to a whole lot of non-fiction fare.

‘We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited about these projects,’ said Obama back in April.

‘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.’

Two of the projects – American Factory and Crip Camp – were purchased after debuting at festivals.

Bloom will take a look at the struggles faced by women of color in the fashion industry post-World War II while Overlooked is an extension of a New York Times column that releases obituaries for notable Americans whose were never covered by the paper.

The Obama’s Higher Ground production company has also optioned two books for upcoming projects: The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

‘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,’ said then former first lady in a statement.

‘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.’

The Obamas signed their deal with Netflix last May, and brought on Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis to oversee the production company.

BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA DEVELOPMENT SLATE

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: U.S. Documentary. From Participant Media, the film is directed by Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy Award®-winners Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert (“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant,” “A Lion in the House,” “Seeing Red”). The acclaimed 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 two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America. The producers are Steven Bognar, 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 marked by hurdles but also tremendous progress. BLOOM is written and executive produced by Academy Award-winner® Callie Khouri (“Nashville,” “Thelma and Louise,” the upcoming Aretha Franklin movie at MGM), 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.

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. The New York Times called the book “an ambitious and empathetic biography of a major American life.”

Adapted from The New York Times’ ongoing 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 Michael Lewis, the best-selling author of The Big Short and Moneyball, and based on his book The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy, FIFTH RISK, a non-fiction series, will aim to 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 disabled teenagers that would transform young lives, and America forever by helping to 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.

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