Former "Smallville" star Kristin Kreuk is returning to The CW as the female lead in the channel's drama pilot "Beauty and the Beast," reports Deadline. The new version is loosely based on the 1980s CBS series starring Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman.

The site describes the show as follows: It centers on Catherine (Kreuk), a tough-minded NYPD Homicide Detective haunted by witnessing her mother’s murder 9 years ago and the killers' quick demise at the hands of a Beast. After years of searching, Catherine finally finds the Beast, Vincent Koslow, the survivor of a military experiment that went disastrously wrong, and becomes the protector of his secret life as a bestial superhero.

Gary Fleder will direct the pilot, written by Jennifer Levin and Sherri Cooper.