Heather Dunbar is a name that ought to ring a bell for fans of Netflix’s hit political series House of Cards; after all, Dunbar emerged as Frank Underwood’s (Kevin Spacey) primary rival in the latter stages of season 3, before racketeering and scandal derailed her campaign at the eleventh hour.
But for Elizabeth Marvel, the actress who so brilliantly portrayed Heather Dunbar across those crucial seasons, the Oval Office still beckons, now that Marvel has inked a deal to star as president-elect Elizabeth Keane in Homeland season 6.
With Showtime’s flagship expected to return in January, Marvel’s casting comes at an opportune time for the network, particularly now that Hillary Clinton has become the first woman Presidential nominee from a major party. Aligning neatly with the ongoing U.S. presidential election, it’s understood Elizabeth Keane, like Clinton, will hail from New York City and is described as “bright, charming and lively.”
Conscious of aping real-life events too much, executive producer/director Lesli Linka Glatter cautioned that Homeland fans shouldn’t expect a “Hillary Clinton proxy.” That being said, we understand that season 6 is due to take place between election day and the inauguration, at a time when Washington’s corridors of power are bracing for the inevitable “transitional period” that casts a cloud of anxiety and uncertainty over the White House.
Taking place several months after Claire Danes’ Carrie Mathison prevented a full-blown attack on Berlin, Homeland season 6 has our stern protagonist return to home soil, where she provides aid to Muslims living in the US of A.
