A year and a half after a disastrous attempt to make a film about former President Ronald Reagan starring Will Ferrell, another project has reared its head. This time around, the Reagan family is behind the idea, as his daughter Patti Davis seeks to make a show chronicling Reagan's early life and his time as President. Davis is teaming up with the USA Network to develop the limited series drama, which does not have a title at this time.
While the limited series has yet to receive a name, there are some specific details regarding the plot of the in-development show. Some emphasis of the project will focus on Ronald Reagan's time as a lifeguard, which seems appropriate considering the man in charge of the script did a one-man play chronicling that part of his life specifically. Scriptwriter David Rambo has also written and executive produced shows like Empire, Revolution, and CSI. THR says Rambo will co-executive produce this limited series as well and will be joined by Reagan's daughter Patti Davis, Steve Michaels, Jonathan Koch, Joan Harrison, Ben Press, and Bryan O'Connell.
While Patti Davis is the daughter of Ronald Reagan and second wife Nancy Reagan, it doesn't appear as though this developing series plans to paint the former President in an all-glorifying light. The description for the series does note that it will touch on Reagan's failures as a President, and his complex role as a father. Not much more is knows about the show's contents, but the prior gives the impression that the limited series may offer more than just a positive tribute to his tenure in the office. That makes sense considering Davis caused controversy during Reagan's Presidency with her activism and involvement in the anti-nuclear movement; she's historically held different viewpoints on issues her father.
This untitled project will not be the only series that will touch on the life of Ronald Reagan in the near future, as History is developing an anthology The Commanders which will include the former President. A former actor himself before becoming President of the United States, Reagan had several appearances in both television and film prior to taking office as the Governor of California. Reagan was sworn into the Presidency in 1981 and served for two terms. Reagan died in 2004 after a bout of pneumonia combined with further complications brought on by Alzheimer's disease.
The untitled Reagan project is currently in development at USA Network and does not have a release date at this time. For more on other upcoming programming, be sure to visit both the fall premiere guide and midseason premiere guide for a look at what to expect over the next few months in television. For a look at some shows that didn't manage to snag a renewal in 2017, head on over to our cancellation guide.
