LOS ANGELES, Oct 23 — The actor who plays the mysterious Sergeant Nicholas Brody in “Homeland” is in talks to join “Queen of the Desert,” a historical biopic on the life of British explorer and author Gertrude Bell.

Damian Lewis is slated to play Charles Doughty-Wylie, a British army officer who engages in a chaste yet passionate correspondence with the film's protagonist, played by Nicole Kidman. Werner Herzog will direct the film, which will explore how the British woman of letters influenced the geopolitical shaping of the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula at the start of the 20th century.

Gertrude Bell is sometimes described as the feminine equivalent of Lawrence of Arabia, with whom she worked closely during the creation of the state of Iraq. Reports last year indicated that British actor Robert Pattinson would play this historical character in the forthcoming film.

Following two years of preparation, Herzog plans to begin shooting “Queen of the Desert” this December, according to Deadline.com. The film will mark the German director's return to fiction following a series of documentaries, including “Into the Abyss” (2011) and “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” (2010). — AFP-Relaxnews