February 10, 2011, Updated September 12, 2012

American actress Claire Danes is currently in Israel for the shooting of Patriots, the American version of the Israeli TV series, Kidnapped.

In the Fox version, the Israeli hostages who returned after 17 years in Lebanon are replaced with American hostages coming back from Iraq, 10 years after the September 11 attacks.

In the American series, the 31-year-old Danes plays the role a bipolar CIA agent who is suspicious of a U.S. Marine who miraculously reappears after being taken prisoner and presumed dead during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Filming began this week in the Arab-Israeli village of Barta’a, near Haifa, which was turned into an authentic Iraqi street.

Fox Television’s decision to make an American version of the Israeli series is not surprising, considering Israel’s television industry has sold hundreds of options for production to broadcasters and producers worldwide. Among the popular shows to have undergone makeovers are In Treatment, Traffic Light, Connected, The Naked Truth, and now, Kidnapped.

Last month, Danes won a Golden Globe for best actress for her performance in the HBO production of Temple Grandin. In the past she starred in the films William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, The Hours and Stardust.

According to reports, Danes will spend the coming days in shooting locations across the country, and will stay over in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

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