The Woman’s Hour: Spielberg’s Amblin TV Developing Voting Rights Drama

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood veteran Steven Spielberg and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton are teaming up to produce and develop a television adaptation of the acclaimed liberation novel, The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote.

The novel, which was published earlier this year, follows the women who battled for the right to vote and celebrates their efforts to change history in laying the foundation for the civil rights movement that arrived three decades later, and for getting the 19th Amendment ratified in 1920.

Spielberg’s production group Amblin TV optioned the rights to the Elaine Weiss novel with the intention of adapting it into either a TV movie or limited series with plans to shop the project to premium cable networks such as HBO and Showtime or to streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu.

“At the heart of democracy lies the ballot box, and Elaine Weiss’ unforgettable book tells the story of the female leaders who — in the face of towering economic, racial and political opposition — fought for and won American women’s right to vote. Unfolding over six weeks in the summer of 1920, The Woman’s Hour is both a page-turning drama and an inspiration for everyone, young and old, male and female, in these perilous times. So much could have gone wrong, but these American women would not take no for an answer: their triumph is our legacy to guard and emulate,” Clinton said to THR. “I am thrilled to be working with Elaine, Steven and everyone at Amblin Television on bringing this important project to audiences everywhere.”

Clinton, who is making her producing debut with this project and is set to make a cameo appearance in the fifth season premiere of Madam Secretary, is expected to oversee the search for the writers, directors and cast members. Clinton’s husband, former president Bill, is also adapting a television project based on his book The President is Missing with James Patterson for Showtime and Barack and Michelle Obama just inked a multi-year deal to produce shows and films for Netflix.