Homeland star Damian Lewis will play Henry VIII in BBC Two’s epic new drama series Wolf Hall.

Written by Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), the six-part adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novels is currently filming in the South West of England.

Starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Claire Foy (The Promise) as Anne Boleyn, Wolf Hall charts the meteoric rise of Cromwell in the Tudor court, from his lowly start as a blacksmith’s son to Henry VIII’s closest advisor.

The cast also includes Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) as Stephen Gardiner, Secretary to the King; Jonathan Pryce (Cranford) as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey; Joanne Whalley (The Borgias) as Henry ‘s first wife, Katherine of Aragon; Anton Lesser (Endeavour) as heretic hunter, Thomas More; Mathieu Amalric (The Grand Budapest Hotel) as Ambassador of Spain Chapuys; Charity Wakefield (Sense & Sensibility) as Anne’s sister, Mary Boleyn; Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife) as Anne’s sister-in-law Jane Rochford; Bernard Hill (Five Days) as the Duke of Norfolk; Richard Dillane (The Dark Knight) as the Duke of Suffolk; Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game Of Thrones) as Cromwell’s ward Rafe Sadler; Natasha Little (Case Histories) as Cromwell’s wife Liz; and Saskia Reeves (Turks & Caicos) as her sister Johane.

Mark Rylance commented: “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. 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.”

Wolf Hall will air on BBC Two in 2015.

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