After cancelling the second season of On Becoming a God in Central Florida a few days ago, Showtime has scrapped another series before it even began production. The President is Missing, an adaptation of the thriller novel by James Patterson and former US President Bill Clinton with Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie, will no longer be developed at Showtime.
The series is another casualty of the ongoing worldwide health crisis and the lengthy shutdowns many film and television productions have faced because of it. The show had been fully cast after Showtime gave it a pilot order with filming set for mid-March earlier this year just as lockdowns were enforced. With no end in sight still and production continued to be delayed, Showtime opted to cancel it rather than delay it any further.
David Oyelowo (Selma) was to lead The President is Missing as a powerless and politically aimless vice president who unexpectedly becomes president halfway into his administration’s first term, despite his every wish to the contrary. He walks right into a secret, world-threatening crisis, both inside and outside the White House. Attacked by friends and enemies alike, with scandal and conspiracy swirling around him, he is confronted with a terrible choice: Keep his head down, toe the party line and survive, or act on his stubborn, late-developing conscience and take a stand.
Though Showtime decided to cancel The President is Missing and On Becoming a God in Central Florida, this latest news comes just as Showtime announced they are developing a limited series revival of the serial killer series Dexter, which ended its original run in 2013.
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