Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines who became notorious for the way she used her position to fund a lavish lifestyle, will be at the center of a new limited series that is being developed by producer Lisa Saltzman. “Chasing Imelda” is inspired by journalistKatherine Ellison’sbiography, “Imelda: Steel Butterfly of the Philippines.” The announcement comes in a moment of, I guess, rediscovery for Imelda. After all, Marcos is the central figure in a new Broadway musical “Here Lies Love” from David Byrne and Fatboy Slim (there’s just something about all those shoes).
Ellison is a journalist, strategist and writer, whose examinations of the corruption ofImeldaand her husband FerdinandMarcos forThe San Jose Mercury Newswon her a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1986. This limited series reveals the dark side of one of history’s most notorious figures and showcases the personal struggles and risks that come with exposing corruption. The series centers around young reporter Kerry Kelper, who while working at the paper in the early 1980s helped uncover millions of dollars in secret U.S. real estate purchases byImeldaMarcos.
Ultimately, Ferdinandand Imelda Marcos fell from power in 1986 and briefly went into exile in the United States. The family has since mounted a political comeback. Marcos’ son, Bongbong Marcos, is the current president of the Philippines.
“ImeldaMarcoshas fascinated Americans for decades,” Saltzman said. “The new David Byrne show on Broadway is just the latest indication of that. She’s known to many as the Philippines First Lady with hundreds of pairs of shoes, our limited series will show that she was surprisingly also a shrewdly calculating politician who many experts believe was the real and deadly power behind theMarcosdictatorship. Imeldais a polarizing figure in history, many consider her a symbol of corruption and excess, others view her as a political survivor and advocate for the arts. She considers herself a role model.”
“I became obsessed withImeldaMarcosafter learning how she had seduced a parade of US presidents, diplomats, journalists and celebrities while she was working behind the scenes to grab power over the Philippines,” Ellison added. “Gloria Steinem once referred to Marilyn Monroe as a ‘female impersonator’ — a quote that has always stuck with me in relation toImelda. She was beautiful, charming, and towards the end of her reign, many dismissed her as kooky — but all the while she was more scheming and murderous than any First Lady in history.”
Saltzman is set to produce award winning filmmakerElaine McMillion’s forthcoming feature about Marry Harris Jones,“Mother Jones.” She has numerous projects in various stages of development, including controlling the feature film rights toSteven Kaminsky’sbest selling biography“Anything Is Possible: The Jack LaLane Story” and Debby CampbellandMark Bego’sbest-selling biography, “Burning Bridges: Life With My Father Glen Campbell.” Saltzmanwas an executive producer of“Deception Road,”starringThomas Hayden Church. She is also an award-winning photographer.
