CBS has found its secretary of state.
Tea Leoni has been tapped to star in the network’s Madam Secretary drama pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
From Homeland‘s Barbara Hall, Madam Secretary centers on the personal and professional life of a maverick female secretary of state as she drives international diplomacy, wrangles office politics and balances a complex family life.
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Leoni will play Elizabeth Faulkner McGill, a teacher turned secretary of state who is described as striking in every way and full of passion for everything she does.
Hall will pen the script and executive produce the CBS Television Studios and Revelations Entertainment drama (which is in first position to Showtime’s Homeland) alongside Morgan Freeman, Lori McCreary and Tracy Mercer.
For Leoni, the pilot marks the actress’ return to the small screen following her roles on Flying Blind and The Naked Truth. Her big-screen credits include Deep Impact, Bad Boys, Spanglish and Tower Heist. She’s repped by UTA, Mosaic and Hirsch Wallerstein.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
