Hilary Duff signs deal with NBC

NEW YORK, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- NBC said Friday it has signed U.S. actress and singer Hilary Duff to a one-year, exclusive talent and development deal to star in her own television series.

The pact would also allow her to guest star or appear in multiple-episode arcs in various current NBC series, it was announced by Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

"Hilary is an incredibly versatile talent with a huge following whose career we know will continue to soar on NBC," Teri Weinberg, executive vice president of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. "We are confident we will develop great ideas that would feature her vast talents and are thrilled to have this opportunity."

The new series is to be produced by Universal Media Studios.

Duff gained fame in the Disney Channel's popular series "Lizzie McGuire" in 2001. Since then, she starred in numerous feature films such as "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," "Agent Cody Banks," "A Cinderella Story," "The Perfect Man," "Raise Your Voice," "Cheaper by the Dozen," "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" and "War, Inc."