Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Aaron Eckhart has joined the cast of the Showtime series The First Lady.
The 52-year-old actor will play president Gerald Ford in the new anthology series.
Eckhart joins previously announced star Michelle Pfeiffer, who will play Ford's wife, former first lady Betty Ford. Showtime confirmed Eckhart's casting in a tweet Tuesday.
"Michelle Pfeiffer and @AaronEckhart are going to make quite the pair as the Fords in The First Lady!" the post reads.
Viola Davis will also star as former first lady Michelle Obama.
The First Lady is written by Aaron Cooley, with Susanne Bier (The Undoing) as director. The series is co-produced by Showtime and Lionsgate TV, with Cooley, Bier and Davis as executive producers.
The First Lady is told from the perspective of the women of the White House. The first season will focus on Ford, Obama and Eleanor Roosevelt, who has yet to be cast.
Eckhart is known for the films Thank You for Smoking, The Dark Knight and Olympus Has Fallen. He most recently appeared in the movie Wander, released in December.