CBS Orders Mark Burnett, Roma Downey Miniseries 'Dovekeepers'

 CBS has ordered the miniseries "The Dovekeepers" from Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. The four hour miniseries based on Alice Hoffman's novel is set to air in 2015.

Downey, who previously starred on CBS's "Touched By An Angel," and Burnett executive produce. Burnett's production team recently scored with miniseries "The Bible" on History, which brought record-breaking ratings to the network.

"The Dovekeepers is a compelling, beautifully written novel that combines history and fiction into a timeless story of survival and heroism," president of CBS Entertainment Nina Tassler, said in a release. "We're thrilled to be working with Roma Downey and Mark Burnett to bring Alice Hoffman's epic saga to life. Mark and Roma possess an amazing passion for telling biblical stories and for producing entertaining television on an event scale."

Hoffman's novel is based on true events in ancient Israel, after 900 Jews were forced out of their homes in Jerusalem by the Romans and besieged in a fortress at Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. The miniseries will follow the lives of four women whose lives intertwine at the mountain as they each struggle to survive.

"This novel is a testament to the human spirit and how love can rise from the ashes of war," Downey said. "It is, quite simply, an amazing story of heroism and hope, and a story that must be seen not just with the eyes but felt with the heart."

The Dovekeepers is a co-production between CBS Television Studios and LightWorkers Media. The CBS executive overseeing production is Stacey Mandelberg, Vice President, Limited Series & Event Programming.