Homeland fan favorite Rupert Friend sustained an injury during production of the first and second episodes of the upcoming sixth season of Homeland in New York City, which are directed by Keith Gordon. Friend, who walked on crutches while attending Showtime’s pre-Emmy party on Saturday, told Deadline that he broke a bone in his right ankle while he was off work, though the injury stems from two on-set instances while filming seasons 4 and 5 of Homeland when he rolled his ankle, weakening the ligaments. With Friend temporary sidelined for the most part, the filming schedule was reshuffled, with executive producer Lesli Linka Glatter, who is directing episodes 3 and 4, stepping in to shoot scenes from these episodes that could be filmed around Friend’s injury.
Rupert Friend and Aimee Mullins
“Everyone has been very accommodating,” Friend told Deadline. He hopes that the soft cast will come off in a couple of weeks, at which time he would be able to resume filming in full-force.
And the fact that a Friend ankle injury has so significantly impacted production on Homeland is further proof that his character Peter Quinn, last seen lying motionless in a hospital bed in the Season 5 finale, is no longer in a coma and back in action.
The injury has pushed production of Homeland back a little but there will be no issue making the January 15, 2017 premiere date, executive producer/showrunner Alex Gansa told Deadline.
Taking place after the U.S. presidential elections, the upcoming season is set mainly in New York, with some action happening in Abu Dhabi and Israel (those scenes will be filmed in Morocco). While Gansa would not divulge details about the new season, he hinted that it does not take cues from the ongoing presidential campaign. (The season will feature a newly-elected female president, played by Elizabeth Marvel.)
