The Obamas will adapt ‘Exit West’ into a Netflix movie starring Riz Ahmed.

Barack and Michelle Obama are getting into business with the “Sound of Metal” and “The Night Of” star Riz Ahmed.

The Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground Productions, is adapting Mohsin Hamid’s critically adored 2017 novel “Exit West” into a movie, which will star Mr. Ahmed, Netflix announced on Friday.

The movie is one of several projects that Netflix said the Obamas were developing for the streaming service. The Obamas signed a multiyear deal with Netflix in 2018 to produce television series, movies and documentaries.

Three years into their deal, Mr. and Mrs. Obama’s efforts have most been focused on documentaries. They acquired the 2019 film “American Factory,” which won the Oscar for best documentary. They also have also produced the documentaries “Crip Camp,” which is about the origins of the disability rights movement, and “Becoming,” a film about Mrs. Obama.

In addition to “Exit West,” the Obamas are also working on a science fiction movie titled “Satellite” with Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s production company. They are also planning a documentary about national parks and a scripted series based on a young adult novel by Angeline Boulley that will come out later this year.

Netflix had previously announced that Higher Ground Productions was at work on an animated series for young children and a scripted series adapted from the Michael Lewis book “The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy.”

Making television shows and movies is a time-consuming and difficult process, and some projects that are being developed will wind up not getting made. A few projects that the Obamas previously said they were working on — including a drama set in post-World War II New York and a movie about Frederick Douglass — were not part of Friday’s announcements.

“From science fiction to the beauty of our natural world to the relationships that define us, Higher Ground continues to strive for fresh perspectives, compelling characters, and a healthy dose of inspiration,” Mr. and Mrs. Obama said in a statement.

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