Halle Berry is getting more into the television business, signing on to produce a History Channel miniseries centering on Hannibal Barca, who challenged Rome during the second Punic War.
Berry will be an executive producer on the series, with Oscar nominee Jeffrey Caine (The Constant Gardner) writing the script, reports Deadline. The focus will be the rivalry between Hannibal and Scipio Africanus, an archrival he grows to respect, during the second Punic War between Carthage and Rome. It is a A+E Studios and Red Arrow Entertainment co-production.
“Hannibal was not only the greatest African general to ever live,” Berry said in a statement, notes THR. “He may have been the greatest general, period. His story is an intricate and captivating ride and I’m thrilled to get this project off the ground with our partners at History.”
Berry has rarely worked on television, but recently signed on to star in CBS and Steven Spielberg’s Extant, which will debut next summer. As part of that deal, her production company signed a two-year first-look deal with the network. She also earned an Emmy nominations for HBO’s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and Oprah Winfrey’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.
History is currently calling the series Hannibal, but they may have to change that since NBC’s Hannibal Lecter series Hannibal is still alive.
The network’s upcoming projects include Sunday’s Bonnie & Clyde and a Roots remake. Adrien Brody is also set to star in Houdini.
image: Randy Holmes/ABC