'United States of Tara': Showtime bets on Steven Spielberg, Diablo Cody

Oscar-winning “Juno” screenwriter Diablo Cody will tackle the subject of motherhood once again in a new television comedy for Showtime.
The cable network has picked up 12 episodes of “United States of Tara,” written by Cody and starring Toni Collette (“Little Miss Sunshine”) as a wife and mother of two who suffers from dissociative identity (formerly multiple personality) disorder.

Steven Spielberg, who first came up with the story, will executive produce with Cody. The dark comedy will follow Tara Gregor as she –- and her various mental protectors –- raises two teens and tends to her understanding husband.

In the first episode, her other personalities include a teenage girl and an adult man who emerge during times of stress. John Corbett ("Sex and the City") will play Tara’s husband.

“What a pleasure to watch Diablo Cody and Toni Collette work together, a combination of inspired writing and acting that raises this show from just a curiosity to a compelling examination of a modern family,” said Showtime president of entertainment, Robert Greenblatt.

-- Denise Martin

Photo: Screenwriter Diablo Cody at the "What Happens in Vegas" premiere in May.