Halle Berry to star in new CBS series 'Extant'

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Hollywood actress Halle Berry is to star in "Extant," a serialized drama from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and CBS Television Studios.

Berry's casting for the summer 2014 series was announced Friday.

"There's only one Halle Berry and we are incredibly honored that she has chosen 'Extant' to expand her illustrious career," Spielberg said in a statement. "As she does with everything she touches, she will bring a deep authenticity to her role and I very much look forward to working with her."

"Halle is the type of award-winning actress you dream of collaborating with for an event project such as 'Extant,'" said Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment. "Her talent and ability to immerse herself into every performance has created memorable roles that have resonated with audiences everywhere. It's a big coup for CBS to have Halle star in her first television series, especially with such an exciting original concept and a role layered with mystery and humanity."

"I'm always on the lookout for amazing roles and when you see material that contains this strong of auspices, nuance and complexity it compels me to run toward it no matter the medium. For five months a year I'll get to live with and play this incredibly intelligent and vulnerable woman, and for the remainder of the year I'll continue to look for other roles that move me as deeply as this one," said Berry.

Berry won an Oscar in 2002 for her starring role in "Monster's Ball." In "Extant," she will play an astronaut who returns home from a year-long solo mission in space and tries to reconnect with her husband and son in their everyday lives. Her experiences in space and home lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history, a synopsis said.