Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose latest film White House Down hits theaters this weekend, has been cast in the lead role of the BBC spy thriller miniseries The Honorable Woman.

The BBC reports that the seven-episode series will find Gyllenhaal as Nessa Stein, the daughter of an arms dealer and a businesswoman. Nessa gets in the middle of an international conspiracy involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hugo Blick (The Shadow Line, Marion and Griff) wrote the script.

In a press releasethe series, the Sundance Channel signed on as co-producers. It will be the latest original program for the U.S. cable channel following Rectify and a new series currently titled The Descendants.

In the U.K., it will air on BBC Two. Production starts next month in London. It will air next year.

“I couldn't put the scripts down. Nessa is such an exciting and intricate character. I can't wait to begin filming,” Gyllenhaal said in a statement.

“Maggie Gyllenhaal will be a perfect Nessa Stein, and I am delighted that she has agreed to play her,” Polly Hill, head of independent drama for the BBC, stated. “Hugo Blick has created a complex character with an extraordinary story, and the combination of Hugo's stunning scripts and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the lead role is an exciting and powerful combination.”

Gyllenhaal co-stars in White House Down with Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum. She earned an Oscar nomination for her role alongside Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart in 2009.

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