Showtime and Fox 21 Television Studios announced that new series regulars have joined the fifth season of award-winning drama series "Homeland.'
The latest additions to have signed on include German actor Sebastian Koch ("The Lives of Others'), widely recognized actress Miranda Otto ("The Lord of the Rings'), Sarah Sokolovic ("Cold Comes the Night') and Alexander Fehling ("Inglorious Basterds').
Filming in Berlin has been set to begin this week and will see the return of "Homeland' stars Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend and F. Murray Abraham.
The Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning political drama becomes the first American TV series to film an entire season in Germany, as pointed out by Showtime.
"Homeland' season five will be comprised of 12 episodes and is set to make its way to TV screens this fall.
The upcoming season will follow a story that begins two years after the unfortunate events that took place as Carrie Mathison, played by Danes, was assigned to become Islamabad station chief.
As she confronts her guilt and disappointment following her years of service, interest and participation in the "war on terror", Carrie makes a major decision to take on a new job at a private security firm in Berlin as she separates herself from the CIA.
Taking its main inspiration from the Israeli series "Prisoners of War' by Gideon Raff, "Homeland' was developed for American TV by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon.
Aside from its main plot, there have been few details about what may happen in season five. Gansa pointed out the significance of filming the series in Europe, particularly when it comes to addressing terrorism.
The New York Post already reported disapproval from Pakistani officials as to how their country was depicted as a representation of Islamabad in "Homeland' season four, which may have possibly led to the change of location for the upcoming season.
During the Q&A session at this year's PaleyFest in Hollywood, the series' executive producers discussed certain possibilities for season five.
Gansa considered the question as to how the show has understood and responded towards the violence associated with Islamist terrorist groups.
"Homeland' has already been recognized for not only drawing attention to events relating to terrorism but also for predicting the circumstances that could actually take place in the international scene.
However, the fifth season could move away from Islamic terrorists. At the Television Critics Association's semi-annual press tour, Showtime President David Nevins discussed about looking into other options when it comes to the show's storyline.
"We're not necessarily going to stay now and forever [focusing on] U.S. relations in the Muslim world," Nevins explained. "It's a show ultimately about U.S. foreign policy, U.S. intelligence in the 21st century at a very difficult time. So we're exploring a few different possibilities and may change it up a little bit."
