First Lady is a modern retelling of the story of Esther. It's not about American politics but rather an exploration of what it would look like if the story of Esther happened today. In order to successfully set the story in modern day I had to set it in a dictatorship. Xerxes and his father Darius who lived around 400-500 BC had no legitimate claim to the throne. Many modern scholars believed Darius stole throne. So in my story I have him becoming the elected president and then taking over and turning the fictional country of Pur into a dictatorship. 

The reason I’m calling it Pur instead of Persia is because I want the freedom to explore modern day issues and have a more diverse cast, without the constraints of being tied to a certain time and place. The story is set sometime in the near future so it has current technology and fashion.

As far as the story goes I don’t want to give too much away, but here is the Logline:

In the modern fictional country of Pur, ambivalent dictator Xerxes, discards one wife of integrity only to choose another. A women named Esther, whose power comes from a love strong enough to help change the corrupt system around her.

This story is about how Esther changes Xerxes and helps him become the kind of leader he wants and was mean’t to be. I really lean into Xerxes alcoholism in this show. I’m writing him as a person whose moral center is constantly fighting with the advice of his deceased abusive father and the corrupt greedy politician around him. He uses alcohol as a way to quiet the moral war that rages within him. 

I’m also keeping Xerxes first wife Vashti in the story even after he divorces her. I view her as a hero, a women who stood up for her own honor and integrity in a time when that was unheard of. I think her story and actions have been misinterpreted in other portrayal's of this particular story. She will continue to play a role as the series progresses. 

I want to film the pilot in 2027 so I am relying on your generous donations and you spreading the word to others to help raise the funds. I am also looking for major investors so if you know anyone please email me at msw.media.productions@gmail.com. Once the pilot is complete I am hoping to sell it to a streaming platform that will help me complete the rest of the episodes.