It's Official: Patinkin & Danes in Showtime's 'Homeland' Series

Acclaimed actor Mandy Patinkin, whose career has spanned musical theater, film, TV, recordings and the concert stage will return to television for the first time since starring in Criminal Minds in the SHOWTIME(R) hour-long drama pilot HOMELAND. He will portray a pivotal role in the series as "Saul," a veteran CIA Division Chief who is Carrie's (Danes) boss and mentor. A production of FOX 21, the series is loosely based on Gideon Raff's Israeli television series "Prisoners of War." The pilot will be executive produced by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa (24, X-Files). Other casting, including the role of Sergeant Scott Brody, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Mandy Patinkin is an acclaimed and award-winning actor of TV, film and theater. On television, he won an Emmy Award (as well as a Golden Globe(R) nomination) for his performance in Chicago Hope, and also starred in Criminal Minds and in the Showtime original series Dead Like Me. His most noted film roles were in The Princess Bride, Alien Nation, Yentl, Men With Guns, Dick Tracy, and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. On stage, he originated iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George, Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden Burrs in The Wild Party and his Tony Award winning performance as Che Guevara in Evita. Patinkin continues to tour his one-man show Mandy Patinkin in Concert as well as concerts he has created with artists such as Patti LuPone, Nathan Gunn and Taylor Mac. He also continues as a recording artist on the Nonesuch label.

HOMELAND, which was written by Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff, centers on an American soldier taken prisoner during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Left for dead, the soldier miraculously returns to the U.S. after years in captivity. Danes plays Carrie Anderson, a driven CIA officer battling her own psychological demons, who 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.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos