'Dovekeepers' miniseries is in the works at CBS

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- CBS says it is adapting U.S. author Alice Hoffman's 2011 historical novel "The Dovekeepers" as a miniseries to air in 2015.

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are executive producing the project, which is about four extraordinary women whose lives intersect in a fight for survival at the siege of Masada in 70 C.E.

"After being forced out of their home in Jerusalem by the Romans, 900 Jews were ensconced in a fortress at Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert," CBS said in a synopsis. "Besieged at Masada, the Jews held out for months against the vast Roman armies."

"'The Dovekeepers' is a compelling, beautifully written novel that combines history and fiction into a timeless story of survival and heroism," Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. "We're thrilled to be working with Roma Downey and Mark Burnett to bring Alice Hoffman's epic saga to life. Mark and Roma possess an amazing passion for telling biblical stories and for producing entertaining television on an event scale."

"We are excited to get to turn this bestselling novel by Alice Hoffman into an epic miniseries that will be a major television event on CBS," said Downey.

"This novel is a testament to the human spirit and how love can rise from the ashes of war. It is, quite simply, an amazing story of heroism and hope, and a story that must be seen not just with the eyes but felt with the heart."

"I am thrilled that my novel 'The Dovekeepers,' produced by Roma Downey, who I so admire for her vision and strong commitment to the stories of women of the ancient world, will be at CBS with Nina Tassler, who is dedicated to storytelling at the highest level," said Hoffman, who will also serve as a consultant on the miniseries.

No casting has been announced yet.