‘Yellowstone’ Creator Taylor Sheridan’s New Paramount+ Series Casts Zoe Saldana

Paramount’s investor day was a big one for Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan. Not only was 1883 renewed for a second season, but Sheridan’s ideas for other shows were given a green light. One of those new projects is Lioness, which will star Zoe Saldana. The Avatar star linked to the Paramount+ project back in January.

Lioness is based on a real-life CIA program with undercover female agents fighting against dangerous challenges, including drug cartels and the Afghanistan war. Saldana will play the group’s leader, who is also responsible for training new operatives. Nicole Kidman, who was previously expected to star in the show, will instead executive produce through her production company, Blossom Films. Saldana will also serve as an executive producer.

“I am a huge fan of Taylor Sheridan’s work and am honored to help him tell his next amazing story with Lioness,” showrunner Tom Brady (NOS4A2, Hell on Wheels) said in a statement. “Taylor has created an epic, gripping, global spy thriller centered on a group of complex, strong women, and I can’t imagine anyone better to help bring these characters to life than fellow executive producers Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña.”

“Lioness is based on an incredible, largely unknown program between the CIA and special forces, where U.S. female soldiers would infiltrate the local community and gather intelligence,” 101 Studios CEO David C. Glasser added. “Taylor has crafted an intense and gripping story within this uncharted world, and we are honored that it will be brought to life on Paramount+ through the acting and producing talents of Zoe Saldaña alongside executive producers Nicole Kidman and showrunner Tom Brady.”

Saldana is best known for her work in the blockbusters Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy. She recently worked on James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar sequels, the first of which will finally hit theaters on Dec. 16. She also stars in David O. Russell’s still-untitled movie, which is expected in November, and Keyhole Garden.

Although Saldana appeared on Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU early in her career, she has rarely starred on television. In 2006, she had a recurring role in ABC’s Six Degrees and starred in the 2014 Rosemary’s Baby miniseries. She recently filmed From Scratch, an upcoming Netflix miniseries based on Tembi Locke’s memoir. Her voice was heard in the Netflix animated series Maya and the Three.

Jill Wagner, who is best known for playing Amy Winslow in Hallmark’s Mystery 101 movies, is an executive producer on Lioness. In a December interview with The List, she promised an action-packed series. “That’s going to be totally different than any of the films that I filmed,” she said at the time. “It’s a little less family-friendly. I don’t necessarily know that I’d let my daughter watch Lioness.”