Chris Albrecht made his first major acquisition since taking over at Starz Entertainment, grabbing U.S. TV rights to the eight-part miniseries "The Pillars of the Earth," reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The $40 million international co-production is based on the best-selling novel by Ken Follett about the building of a medieval English cathedral. Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Matthew Macfadyen and Donald Sutherland star.

The program will air over seven weeks beginning in July.