Morocco bound—Stars Damian Lewis, Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin from Showtime’s hit “Homeland”
* Security fears send “Homeland” to Morocco—With U.S. considering strike on Middle Eastern nation, Showtime drama switches locations to other side of the Mediterranean.*
Hollywood Reporter, Telegraph (September 17, 2013) — Much of Homeland‘s third season is already in the can, but planned shoots for Israel have been axed on account of the precarious situation in Syria. The filming teams moved to Morocco instead, despite original plans, Israeli news source Ynet reported.
A representative from Homeland producers Fox 21 confirms to The Hollywood Reporter that the anticipated shoot in the Tel Aviv area will now take place on Morocco as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East amid talk of a possible U.S. air strike against the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Morocco has so far largely avoided the chaotic upheavals of the Arab uprisings in the region, the London Telegraph reports.
Homeland has previously filmed in Israel, with parts of the first two seasons shooting in Tel Aviv as well as Barta’a, a small town that straddles the Green Line. The series holds close ties with Israel. Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa‘s Emmy-winning thriller is based on the Israeli format Hatufim (Prisoners of War) from Gideon Raff, and just two months ago producers held a press conference in the country detailing plans to shoot in the Jewish state.
“Homeland” Hollywood Reporter
The decision to move shop comes as little surprise given the threat of military action in the area and widely reported anxiety over possible retribution from Syria should such a strike occur.
Gordon’s Fox 21 pilot Tyrant, which follows and unassuming American family drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation, will also shoot in Morocco. The buzzy project is currently in consideration at FX.
Homeland returns to Showtime on Sept. 29.
When it debuted, the show hit an all-time high for a new drama series on Showtime, the US cable channel which holds the broadcasting rights, the Telegraph reports. Both Danes and her leading co-star Lewis have recently received Emmys for their roles.
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