"Homeland" is changing a lot of things for season 5, the most notable being the change of location from the Middle East to Germany. With the new setting comes new characters to accompany Carrie Matheson (Claire Danes) and, according to a report from Deadline, the showrunners have added four heavy-weight actors as series regulars.
The most significant addition to the cast is Miranda Otto, who played the shield-maiden Eowyn in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" films. She will be portraying Allison Carr, the current station chief of the CIA in Berlin, Germany. She'll be working directly under Saul Berenson's orders. Carr may be Carrie's direct threat, coming from the CIA.
Sebastion Koch will play Otto During, a known philantropist in Germany and is also Carrie's new boss. According to a report from Cinema Blend, it is likely that the security firm Carrie now works for was hired to protect During, which may force her to re-connect with her CIA associates.
Alexander Fehling, popular for his role in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds," will portray Jonas Happich. Happich is a lawyer working for During's charity foundation but more interestingly, he is described as Carrie's new love interest. Given Carrie's track record with her ex-boyfriends, it is likely Happich has a dark past just waiting to blow up.
Then there is Sarah Sokolovic from "Cold Comes the Night," who will play American journalist Laura Sutton. She is also living in Berlin and works for the During foundation as well, but to what extent has not yet been explained by the studios. She might become a key figure in helping Carrie uncover some of the foundation's dirty secrets.
Season 5 finds Carrie on self-imposed exile as she leaves the CIA and now works for a private security firm in Berlin. This is the first time in history an American television show was shot entirely in Germany.
"Homeland" season 5 is scheduled to premiere this September.
