CBS has ordered a four hour miniseries based on Alice Hoffman's historical novel, The Dovekeepers, with an air date of 2015 in mind.
According to Deadline, CBS is aiming to continue its relationship with Survivor creator Burnett as well as continue the success of event programming, like Under The Dome. The team that worked on the popular and Emmy-nominated History Channel miniseries The Bible are also involved.
Hoffman's book is "a compelling, beautifully written novel that combines history and fiction," CBS Entertainment head Nina Tassler said. "Mark and Roma [Downey] possess an amazing passion for telling biblical stories and for producing entertaining television on an event scale."
Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison called The Dovekeepers a "major contribution to 21st century literature," notes The Hollywood Reporter. The book was published by Simon & Schuster in 2011 and was a New York Times bestseller.
Hoffman's historical novel is about four women whose lives cross as they struggle to survive in ancient Israel during the siege of Masada. The four hour miniseries will be from their point of view during the event where 900 Jews survived for months against an invading Roman army.
Downey, who is Burnett's wife, said, "We are excited to get to turn this best-selling novel by Alice Hoffman into an epic miniseries that will be a major television event on CBS."
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