Toni Collette to Star in Jerry Bruckheimer's HOSTAGES Pilot for CBS

Toni Collette has landed a high-profile new role.

The UNITED STATES OF TARA actress is set to star in Jerry Bruckheimer's HOSTAGES pilot for CBS, it was announced this evening.

The project is based upon on the Israeli format by Alon Aranya, Omri Givon and Rotem Shamir. HOSTAGES follows a family who are unexpectedly caught in The Middle of a major political conspiracy.

Collette will play Ellen, a successful Washington, D.C. surgeon who has been selected to operate on the President. Her family is caught in the controversy and taken hostage - and it's up to Ellen to save them.

Jerry Bruckheimer Television is producing the pilot in association with Warner Bros. Television. Bruckheimer will also serve as executive producer, alongside Givon, Shamir and Chayim Sharir.

Collette made her Broadway debut opposite Mandy Patinkin and Eartha Kitt. In The Wild Party, she played the platinum-haired vaudeville dancer and raunchy hostess Queenie for whom she picked up both a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination.

The Australian born actress achieved international recognition as a result of her Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Lynn Sear in The Sixth Sense. She has since starred in About a Boy for which she received a BAFTA nomination in 2002, In Her Shoes, and Little Miss Sunshine. Her performance on Showtime's United States of Tara has won her the Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She recently starred in HITCHCOCK alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson.