New Steven Spielberg Series, 'Extant,' Green-Lit By CBS

Steven Spielberg's newest television project, Under The Dome, is proving to be the latest success for CBS in it's late night programming. In a bid to capitalise on this current run of success, the TV company have decided to double up on Spielberg and have agreed a deal with the Oscar-winning filmmaker to air his next project; Extant.

Spielberg will be at the heart of the new series

On Wednesday (7 August), the joint project from Spielberg's Amblin Television and CBS Television Studios was green-lit by studio execs. and work began on the futuristic drama-thriller. The Hollywood Reporter has since revealed that the series will be penned by Spielberg, Greg Walker and Mickey Fisher, and that it will be a future-set family drama and thriller about a returning female astronaut trying to reconnect with her family after spending a year outside the Earth's atmosphere. This is more than just a family-reconnection series though, as our female protagonist has experienced things in space that will ultimately alter the course of human history.

"Extant is a very original concept with layers of humanity, mystery and surprise that reveal itself throughout the script," Nina Tassler, CBS Entertainment president, said in a statement. "Our partnership with Amblin for Under the Dome showed that viewers respond to high-quality event programming in the summer. We look forward to building on that with Extant and offering CBS audiences another high-concept, unique event for summer television."

Spielberg was head of the Grand Jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival

Most recently, CBS and Amblin have worked together to bring Stephen King's Under The Dome to the small screen, a venture that has proved more than worthwhile as critics and audiences alike have been taken by the new series. CBS have already agreed on a second season for the show and have sold the rights to the series to Amazon, allowing them to air the series on their Amazon Prime streaming service.

Extant has been given a 13-episode order as a limited series, with the potential to continue for a further season providing audience figures are high enough. It is expected to air in summer 2014.

King's Under The Dome is proving to be a hit with audiences