Lifetime orders biblical drama

US cablenet Lifetime has greenlit The Red Tent, a two-part miniseries adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by Anita Diamant.

The show, airing over two nights this fall, follows the tale of Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, who is referred to briefly in the Old Testament of the Bible.

The cast includes Minnie Driver (Return to Zero, About a Boy), Morena Baccarin (Homeland) and Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen).

Produced by Sony Pictures Television, The Red Tent is exec produced by Paula Weinstein (Blood Diamond). Roger Young (Law & Order) directs from a script by Elizabeth Chandler (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Anne Meredith (Secrets of Eden).

Lifetime becomes the latest US broadcaster to develop a biblically themed series, following History Channel’s miniseries The Bible, CBS’s The Dovekeepers and, more recently, Fox’s plans for event series Nazareth.

The Red Tent goes into production this month on location in Morocco.