Patricia Clarkson to Star in HBO Romantic Drama

Patricia Clarkson may be coming back to HBO.

The Oscar nominee (Pieces of April) and two-time Emmy winner (Six Feet Under) is reuniting with Alan Poul and Cairo Time writer Ruba Nadda for HBO drama Elisabeth, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Elisabeth is described as a romantic drama set in the world of international politics. Clarkson is eyeing it as a starring vehicle.

Nadda will pen the script for Elisabeth — which is in development — and direct the pilot should the project move forward. Nadda and Clarkson will both executive produce alongside Six Feet Under‘s Poul.

Nadda, a Palestinian-Canadian filmmaker, wrote and directed Cairo Time, which starred Clarkson and won the best Canadian feature film award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2009.

The deal also reunites Clarkson with Poul after the duo worked together on HBO’s Six Feet Under. Clarkson won two Emmys for her guest turn as Sarah O’Connor on the critically praised series that Poul exec produced for its entire five-season run.

The project also keeps Poul, an exec producer on the third and final season of Aaron Sorkin‘s The Newsroom, in the HBO fold.

Clarkson’s credits include features Easy A, Lars and the Real Girl, Shutter Island and The Green Mile. Repped by CAA and Anonymous Content, her TV credits include guest turns on Parks and Recreation, Frasier and Lifetime’s Five.

Poul is repped by WME and Felker Toczek.

Nadda, who is making her TV debut with Elisabeth, counts short films Interstate Love Story and So Far Gone among her credits. She’s repped by Gersh and Untitled Entertainment.

Should Elisabeth move forward, it would join a roster of dramas at HBO including Game of Thrones, The Leftovers and the expected second season of True Detective. The cabler this year is saying farewell to dramas Boardwalk Empire, The Newsroom and True Blood, which ended its run last month. HBO has drama pilots including a rock ‘n’ roll drama starring Bobby Cannavale as well as its high-profile Westworld adaptation.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit