Earlier this year we reported that ‘Extant‘ was picked up by CBS, and now it looks as if they’ve found their female lead. In her first television role, Halle Berry (‘X-Men: Days of Future Past‘) will be taking her acting talents to a whole new area. While she’s done comic characters in the past, this specific type of science fiction has never been in her playbook. With the closest comparison was when she starred in ‘Cloud Atlas,’ it will be exciting to see how she pulls this off.

It looks like Berry is also excited about her upcoming role as she stated in a press release announcing her new gig:

“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. I’ve found amazing partners in CBS’s Nina Tassler and Les Moonves, and the incredible Steven Spielberg, along with his Amblin production team, whose vision and creativity in storytelling is unparalleled.”

Not only that, but Spielberg is clearly extremely pleased to have Berry on board the series saying they “are incredibly honored that she has chosen EXTANT to expand her illustrious career. 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.” High praise of her acting talent indeed from the master filmmaker.

The script is being handled by newcomer Mickey Fisher though that’s not something to worry about as Spielberg has been hitting home runs on shows he’s picked to put his name behind. When you think about ‘Falling Skies’, ‘Under the Dome’, and ‘Taken’ he’s put out some high quality science fiction.

So what is ‘Extant’ about? Here’s a short synopsis:

In a thrilling drama, Berry 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 life. Her experiences in space and home lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.

What events could these be? Early rumors have mentioned something about aliens and her being pregnant soon after returning to Earth. Are we going to be getting an alien baby or is that a bit of misdirection to keep viewers wondering as the first season plays through? Only time will tell but Spielberg has a knack of mixing aliens (subtlety or in your face) into series that his Amblin Entertainment gets behind.

A couple years ago it would have been worrisome to see a show like ‘Extant’ land on CBS, but when you factor in how well the network has done with Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome‘ and the general success of science fiction shows backed by Steven Spielberg (‘Falling Skies‘), I will fully admit to getting excited.

Are you looking forward to seeing Halle Berry in her first small screen roll?

‘Extant’ will star Halle Berry and is being produced by Steven Spielberg for a Summer 2014 release.

Source: Collider