Former President Clinton gets TV deal for upcoming White House 'thriller'

Former President Bill Clinton pauses while speaking at a Brookings Institution forum to discuss the book "Yitzhak Rabin: Soldier, Leader, Statesman" in Washington, U.S., March 9, 2017. (REUTERS)

The TV rights to an upcoming novel co-written by former President Bill Clinton has been acquired by Showtime, the premium cable television network said late Friday.

Showtime Network Inc. called the novel, co-written with bestselling author James Patterson, a “powerful, one-of-a-kind thriller.”

“I'm really enjoying writing this book and working with Jim,” Clinton said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see Showtime bring the characters to life.”

The network said the novel -- titled “The President is Missing” -- has “the level of detail that only someone who has held the office can know.”

Showtime chief executive and President David Nevins said getting the rights to the novel was “a coup of the highest order” for the network.

The novel is scheduled for release in June 2018.

“The White House is such an exciting world to explore and is made even more so with the unique insights of a former president,” Patterson said.

Clinton, a Democrat and the country’s 42nd president, has published several nonfiction books including “Putting People First: How We Can All Change America.”

Patterson holds the record for most No. 1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author, selling more than 380 million copies worldwide. Among them is “Women’s Murder Club.”

Showtime won a bidding war for the book’s rights.

The networks affiliation with CBS, and the corporation's boss, Leslie Moonves, helped seal the deal, according to the Associated Press.