In a very competitive situation, Showtime has acquired the rights to The President Is Missing, the upcoming thriller novel by President Bill Clinton and bestselling author James Patterson. It will be developed as a TV series.

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The President Is Missing, which is set to be published in June 2018, hit the Hollywood marketplace at the beginning of August when Clinton flew to Los Angeles to pitch it alongside Patterson. Word is the duo had 16 meetings with film & TV studios, cable and streaming networks as well as producers, directors and financiers. Leslie Moonves, chairman and CEO of Showtime parent CBS Corp., is said to have helped secure the book for the pay cable network via his longstanding relationship with Clinton. Additionally, Patterson is in the CBS family. He has had an overall deal at CBS TV Studios and has two series on CBS, Zoo and the upcoming Instinct, as well as projects in development at the broadcast network.

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“Bringing The President Is Missing to Showtime is a coup of the highest order,” Showtime Networks president and CEO David Nevins said. “The pairing of President Clinton with fiction’s most gripping storyteller promises a kinetic experience, one that the book world has salivated over for months and that now will dovetail perfectly into a politically relevant, character-based action series for our network.”

In The President Is Missing, published by Alfred A. Knopf and Little, Brown & Co., Clinton and Patterson tell the story of a sitting U.S. president’s disappearance, with the level of detail that only someone who has held the office can know.

“I’m really enjoying writing this book and working with Jim,” said Clinton. “And I can’t wait to see Showtime bring the characters to life.” This is Clinton’s first novel, and his collaboration with Patterson marks the first time an American President has ever co-authored a thriller.

“The White House is such an exciting world to explore and is made even more so with the unique insights of a former President,” said Patterson. “Rich storytelling opportunities for this series abound.”

A fictional U.S. president has been featured on another Showtime drama, Homeland, whose next season is set in Washington DC. Additionally, Netflix has drama House of Cards about President Frank Underwood.

The President Is Missing is repped by CAA.