David Yates replaces Ang Lee in director's chair for 'Tyrant' series

Now that the Taiwanese-born American filmmaker has pulled out of the project, Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, the creators of "Homeland," are counting on English director David Yates to helm the pilot for their latest brainchild, "Tyrant." After directing the final four "Harry Potter" movies, Yates will soon be shooting this political drama pilot in Morocco, laying the foundations for a series about an American family in a politically unstable Middle Eastern country. This widely anticipated project is earmarked for the international cable network FX. It stands to gain a great deal from the expertise of Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff as well as writer Craig Wright, who earned his wings scripting "Six Feet Under" and "Lost." David Yates, who to many people's surprise was tapped to make the final four "Harry Potter" pics, is known above all for his work on British television. A specialist in political dramas, he worked among other things for the BBC's flagship channel BBC One in 2003 on the miniseries "State of Play," about relations between the political sphere and the media in England. The latter was adapted six years later for the silver screen in a production starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Robin Wright Penn, Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman.