Tea Leoni to Star in Morgan Freeman's CBS Pilot MADAM SECRETARY

Morgan Freeman has found his Secretary of State.

According to Variety, Freeman's DEEP IMPACT co-star, Tea Leoni, has signed on to star in his upcoming CBS drama pilot MADAM SECRETARY. Co-creator Barbara Hall (JOAN OF ARCADIA) will pen the script.

The project centers on "a maverick female Secretary of State as she drives international diplomacy, wrangles office politics and balances a complex family life".

Aside from Joan of Arcadia, Hall's other writing credits include Homeland, Marry Me, Judging Amy, Northern Exposure, I'll Fly Away, and more. She has worked as producer on all of the aforementioned series, as well as Army Wives and the TV movies Demons and Ultra.

Deadline also reports that Leoni has been approached for countless pilots over the past few years, though "has stayed away from network television since 1998 when her NBC sitcom The Naked Truth ended its run." She recently appeared in HBO's pilot SPRING/FORWARD, which ultimately did not go to series.

Aside from DEEP IMPACT, Leoni is best known for her roles in SPANGLISH, JURASSIC PARK III, THE FAMILY MAN, and FUN WITH DICK AND JANE. She's also appeared in TOWER HEIST, GHOST TOWN, and others.

Photo by BEImages/Gregory Pace