Showtime Enlists Damian Lewis to Star in 'Homeland' Opposite Claire Danes

British actor Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) has signed on to star in the leading role opposite Claire Danes in SHOWTIME's new, one-hour drama pilot HOMELAND. Lewis will play U.S. Marine Sergeant Scott Brody, a POW who miraculously returns home after nearly a decade of captivity in Iraq. Additionally, Laura Fraser (A Knight's Tale) has been cast in the role of Jessica, Brody's intrepid and complicated wife. Diego Klattenhoff (Men in Trees) will play Mike Faber, a Marine colonel and Brody's best friend who has become close with Jessica over the years that he has been MIA. HOMELAND begins production in January 2011 and will be executive produced by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, who recently served as executive producers on the long-running series 24.

Lewis is most well-known for his Golden Globe(R)-nominated performance as the American World War II hero, Major Richard Winters, in the Emmy(R)-winning mini-series Band of Brothers, and for his portrayal of Soames Forsyte in the acclaimed production of The Forsyte Saga, Series I and I. Most recently, he was nominated for a Gotham Award for his work as the title character in Keane, and also starred in the television series Life for NBC.

HOMELAND, which was written by Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff, centers on an American soldier (Lewis) taken prisoner during the Iraq invasion in 2003. Left for dead, he miraculously returns to the U.S. after years in captivity. Carrie Anderson (Danes), a driven CIA officer battling her own psychological demons, becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to his re-capture was a setup and that this national hero may be connected to an Al Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil. Mandy Patinkin plays Saul, a veteran CIA Division Chief who is Carrie?s boss and mentor.