Halle Berry to Bring 'Hannibal' on History as Miniseries

The miniseries scripted by Jeffrey Caine centers on Carthaginian military commander Hannibal Barca, who took part in the Second Punic War.

Halle Berry teams up with History Channel to deliver a small-screen take on the life of the legendary Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca. The Storm of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" will executive produce "Hannibal" miniseries, which is penned by Oscar-nominated writer Jeffrey Caine ("The Constant Gardener", "Goldeneye").

"Hannibal was not only the greatest African general to ever live," the Academy Award-winning actress says in a statement. "He may have been the greatest general, period. His story is an intricate and captivating ride, and I'm thrilled to get this project off the ground with our partners at History."

The miniseries kicks off in Carthage, in 264 B.C., at the beginning of his life in North Africa and goes through the second Punic War between Carthage and Rome. Hannibal and his archnemesis Scipio Africanus take a sacred vow to destroy the other and the nation each serves. However, despite their firecely opposed allegiances, the two are brought together and grow to respect each other as brothers.

Berry recently landed a starring role on CBS' summer series "Extant" from executive producer Steven Spielberg. She will play a female astronaut who is trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space on the futuristic thriller.