Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty ImagesThose missing a dose of Damian Lewis on their TVs since his Homeland exit will have to wait a bit longer for his return, but it's coming. The Emmy winner has joined the cast of PBS/Masterpiece's Wolf Hall as Henry VIII. Mark Rylance also stars as Thomas Cromell.
The Masterpiece on PBS series is based on Hilary Mantel's novel of the same name. Wolf Hall is a Company Pictures and Playground co-production for BBC Two and Masterpiece. Peter Kosminsky will direct the drama that follows the rise of Thomas Cromwell from blacksmith's son to Henry VIII's adviser. Oscar nominee Peter Straughan wrote the six-part miniseries.
Claire Foy also stars as Anne Boleyn with Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Thomas Wosley, Joanne Whalley as Katherine of Aragon, Mark Gatiss as Stephen Gardiner, Anton Lesser as Thomas More, Mathieu Amalric as Ambassador of Spain Chapuys, Charity Wakefield as Anne's sister Mary Boleyn and more rounding out the cast.
"I love it when an author, such as Hilary Mantel, does her research and discovers an original understanding of a very familiar piece of history. Even during our rehearsals her detailed imagination of the world of Thomas Cromwell is alive in Peter Straughan's ingenious and faithful adaptation," Rylance said in a statement. "I have to say, after my experience on The Government Inspector, I would gladly take part in any film that Peter Kosminsky makes. His ability to grasp complex political situations and bring them to life on film seems particularly suited for this material. Myself aside, I feel he has cast Wolf Hall with a superb eye for character and all the nuanced humanity Ms. Mantel's masterpieces deserve."
Production has begun in England for a 2015 broadcast on PBS.