The Second Lady, an action/thriller TV series based on the New York Times bestseller by Irving Wallace, has been set at Prime Video for development in a competitive situation. Jessica Sharzer (The Simple Favor movies) is writing the adaptation, from Kevin Williamson‘s Outerbanks Entertainment and Universal Television where Williamson and his company are under an overall deal.

The project stems from a mini first‑look deal Sharzer has with Universal Television, the third such agreement the studio has made since launching the model in 2025. It involves shorter-term, cost-efficient non-exclusive pacts focused solely on development. The Second Lady is the first sale to come out of the initiative.

In The Second Lady, when America’s beloved First Lady is abducted and replaced by a Russian double, both women must fight to survive—one navigating captivity in Siberia, the other infiltrating the White House to sabotage NATO during the G7 Summit.

Sharzer, who holds M.A. in Russian Literature from UC Berkeley, executive produces alongside Williamson and Ben Fast of Outerbanks Entertainment and Peter J. Donaldson, who represents Wallace’s literary estate. David Wallechinsky, Wallace’s son and executor of the estate, is co-producer. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.

Sharzer’s produced features include Nerve (2015), A Simple Favor (2018) and Another Simple Favor (2025). In television, Sharzer was a co-executive producer on FX’s American Horror Story, Fox’s Star, Apple TV’s Amazing Stories and Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers. She is repped by UTA, Northstar and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols.

Scream creator Williamson is coming off Scream 7, which marked his directorial debut for the franchise. On the TV side, Dawson’s Creek creator Williamson most recently created The Waterfront for Netflix via Universal. His production banner, Outerbanks Entertainment, is led by President Ben Fast and VP Julia Buckingham. Williamson is repped by CAA and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan.

Donaldson and Wallechinsky are repped by The Law Offices of Adam W. Rosen.