Homeland boss reveals filming struggles that caused major delay for final season
HOMELAND'S boss has revealed the filming struggles that caused a major delay for the final season.
The hit Showtime series returns this Sunday for its eighth and final season after almost two years off screen.
Now, Executive Producer Alex Gansa has revealed there were a number of factors that caused the delay.
Speaking to TVLine: "Shooting in Morocco took way longer than we thought, and we weren't able to accomplish all that we wanted to in Morocco, so we had to come back to the United States.
"That required setting up another production team here, and that delayed us some more months.
"It's literally the season that will never end."
Another factor in the delay was Claire Danes' pregnancy, with the actress - who plays Carrie Mathison - welcoming her second son, Rowan, with husband Hugh Dancy in August 2018.
While fans can't wait to see what happens to Carrie in series eight, they're also sad that it will be the show's last season.
But Alex revealed the end point for the show had been decided a long time ago, saying: "The decision to end it after the eighth season happened after the fifth season."
The show boss added the decision "involved conversations with everybody", including Claire, 40.
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He continued: "The show was incredibly profitable for everybody. But we also didn’t want it to outstay its welcome."
While some shows get revived years after their 'finale', Alex insists that won't be the case for Homeland, which began in 2011.
He explained: "I certainly view it as closing the book, and really resolving this protégé-mentor relationship, and saying something definitive about America's counterterrorism activities over the last twenty years, since 9/11."
Homeland season eight premieres on Sunday, February 9 on Showtime in the US before airing on Channel 4 in the UK.