Kingsley Ben-Adir cast as Barack Obama in new James Comey memoir miniseries

A memoir based on James Comey's career is being turned into a miniseries and UK actor Kingsley Ben-Adir got the role of Barack Obama

Blue Telusma

Nov 19, 2019

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British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir has snagged the role of former president Barack Obama, in an upcoming miniseries based on the memoir by ex-FBI director James Comey.

Director Billy Ray reportedly hand picked Ben-Adir to star in the adaptation of Comey’s book, A Higher Loyalty, which will be produced by CBS Studios.

“I feel humbled by the wealth of talent in this cast,” Ray said of the project. “And I’m touched that so many great actors want to be a part of this story.”

Deadline reports the rest of the cast includes Jeff Daniels in the lead role as Comey, Brian d’Arcy James will play Mark Giuliano, the former FBI Deputy Director; Steve Zissis (HBO’s Togetherness) is set to play Jim Baker, the former FBI General Counsel, and Shawn Doyle (House of Cards and Fargo) will play Bill Priestap, the assistant director of the FBI Counterintelligence Division.

Comey served as the seventh director of the FBI from 2013 until 2017 when he was unceremoniously relieved of his duties by President Donald Trump

According to the publication, the tell-all examines a range of political events from Comey’s part in changing the Bush administration’s torture and electronic surveillance policies to his oversight of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. It will also look at possible ties between President Trump’s campaign and Russia and ultimately his firing by Trump

There has been no word yet on which actor will play Trump, but this isn’t Obama’s first time being being portrayed in a dramatization. In the 2016 indie film “Southside With You,”, which was loosely based on his first date with First Lady Michelle Obama, her was portrayed by Parker Sawyer. And two years later theater veteran Peter Francis James played him in the Scott Rudin-produced Broadway play “Hillary and Clinton.”

It’s unclear when the miniseries will air, but Deadline says CBS will decide if they will run it on the Showtime network, CBS All Access or both.