Claire Danes in 'Showtime Series'

Claire Danes, who recently won an Emmy for HBO's "Temple Grandin," has been signed to star in a new Showtime drama, "Homeland," which will begin production in January.

The series revolves around an American soldier taken prisoner during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. After being left for dead, the soldier returns to the U.S. after spending many years in captivity. Danes will play Carrie Anderson, an ambitious CIA officer battling her own psychological demons who becomes convinced that something is not right and that the returning soldier might be connected to an Al Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil.

The role of the soldier will be cast shortly, Showtime executives said.

The project, which is loosely based on the Israeli TV series "Prisoners of War," is the first to be ordered by Showtime President of Entertainment David Nevins, who assumed his post in August. One of the executive producers of the pilot is Howard Gordon ("24").

"Homeland" marks a return to series television for Danes, who first came to prominence in the 1994 ABC series "My So-Called Life."