‘Homeland’ Casts Female President for Season 6

'House of Cards' fixture Elizabeth Marvel joins the Showtime series. Getty Images

'House of Cards' fixture Elizabeth Marvel joins the Showtime series.

When Homeland finally returns, it will feature a renewed focus on Washington, D.C. -- and one important piece has fallen into place.

The Showtime drama has cast actress Elizabeth Marvel as the president -- well, sort of. She'll play president-elect Elizabeth Keane, a former junior senator who's yet to be inaugurated when the action picks up during the sixth season. Described as "bright, charming, lively and blunt," it's the first new character addition for the forthcoming season.

The news is appropriately timed, for sure. Less than 24 hours ago, the Democratic National Convention nominated Hillary Clinton as the first female presidential candidate from a major party.

Marvel is no stranger to playing politics. She's portrayed one-time presidential candidate Heather Dunbar on three seasons of Netflix's House of Cards. She's also recently had roles on Fargo, Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest.

Homeland, recently nominated for four Emmys, is getting a later-than-typical start this season. Production starts in New York in August, with a premiere likely following in early 2017.  It will be the first season to shift focus back to the United States since the drama's third year. The cast and crew have been abroad for the past two seasons, filming primarily in Cape Town and Berlin.

Marvel is repped by Innovative Artists.

Homeland

Michael O'Connell