Wow! I didn’t see this coming at all; but this is big.

NBC|Universal has just announced, via press release, that Zoe Saldana has been cast in NBC’s four-hour miniseries adaptation of Ira Levin’s 1967 best-selling suspense novel Rosemary’s Baby – a novel that was also the basis for Roman Polanski’s 1968 film of the same name, which starred Mia Farrow as the title character.

Saldana will of course play Rosemary, the young wife and would-be mother who, with her husband, moves into a Paris apartment that has a darkly storied past. After finally getting pregnant, she becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their mysterious neighbors have ulterior motives about the future of her child.

“Zoe has proven that she is one of our most gifted actresses and we think she has the perfect combination of spirit and gravitas to take on the title role from Ira Levin’s infamous novel,” said Quinn Taylor, Executive Vice President, Movies, Miniseries and International Co-Productions, NBC Entertainment. “With Zoe leading the cast under the direction of Agnieszka Holland, this reimagined event mini-series is off to a great start.” 

Acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland, who has been nominated for both an Oscar (Europa, Europa) and an Emmy Award (Treme), will direct. Scott Abbott (Introducing Dorothy Dandridge) and James Wong (American Horror Story) are writing the screenplay. 

Production is set to begin shortly in Paris, where the story will be set set.

It’s been quite an active last few years for Zoe Saldana, since co-starring turn in the biggest box-office hit of all time, Avatar. From 2009’s Star Trek reboot, to her starring role as action hero in Colombiana, recently appearing in the Christian Bale drama Out of the Furnace, and with Bradley Cooper in The Words, with upcoming projects including Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Blood Ties and of course starring as Nina Simone in the upcoming biopic. She’s also co-starring in Don Cheadle’s long-in-development Miles Davis project, and, last year, with her sister Cisely Saldana, inked a first-look deal (via their production company Saldana Productions) with Lionsgate studios.

This Rosemary’s Baby miniseries is just another high-profile project for her to add to her blossoming resume. Other casting announcements are forthcoming.