Though she's still one of the biggest movies stars out there, for an actress like Julia Roberts, turning to television is one of the best ways to get leading roles. So it's no surprise she's leading Ryan Murphy's 'Normal Heart' adaptation for HBO. And she'll be joined by Avenger Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer.

'Normal Heart' is based on the Tony-winning play by Larry Kramer, which is set in New York in the early eighties and follows a paraplegic physician (Roberts) who comes in contact with some of the first wave of people afflicted with HIV and AIDS. This news comes out of the TCA's, but we saw it over at The Hollywood Reporter, who note that the adaptation has been in the works for over a year. It will be directed by Ryan Murphy, who is best known as the creator of 'Glee' and 'American Horror Story' and also directed Roberts in 'Eat Pray Love.'

Though Hollywood has never been that kind to actresses as they age, Roberts is in a rough position as she's not yet ready to play grandmothers. And with Hollywood pursuing superheroes and young adult fiction, there's not a lot of roles for middle-age actress as anything except villains. With television proving year after year to be as artistically vital and as interesting as cinema (if not more so), perhaps she might find more interesting work on the small screen.

More From B98.5