Damian Lewis leaves Showtime's ‘Billions’ after 5 seasons; Who will replace the star?

Damian Lewis, whose Bobby Axelrod, aka Axe character in Showtime drama series Billions gained widespre popularity, is finally exiting show. Lewis' status on show h been unclear until its season five finale, titled No Direction Home, which showcased his character escaping with trucklos of money to Switzerland to escape prosecution in New York. 

As per Variety reports, Showtime confirmed that Lewis will no longer be a reprising character, however, producers are still holding onto possibility of his character returning to Billions one day. show has been renewed for a sixth season, which will be premiering on January 23. Or pivotal characters like Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff will be returning for next instalment, while rumours are rife that Stoll (Mike Prince) will take  le as a new series regular. 

Damian Lewis leaves Billions after season 5

series has been second longest-running drama that Damian has been a central part of since its inception on Showtime. However, this isn't first time that Damian has exited during a show's run. He quit his Emmy winning Homeland in 2013, after a three-season run, helming  role of U.S. Marine Corp. Sgt. Nicholas Brody. 

Created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin, series revolves around world of billionaires, one of m being  hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod, who accumulates unparalleled success and heights in world of finance. 

Showtime’s president of entertainment, Gary Levine, lauded Damian for helming two widely different characters of Axe and Brody on ir two most successful projects. Haling him as an 'extraordinary actor', Gary mentioned that Showtime will hopefully see a third-time collaboration with actor. 

Corey Stoll, who joined show in fifth season as Axelrod's arch-rival Mike Prince, is set to represent new group of wealthy billionaires who aim to establish ir legacy through philanthropic and socially responsible actions. While show's fifth season premiered on May 3, 2020, series was renewed for a sixth season in October that year, which is set to premiere on January 23, 2022. Take a look at trailer. 

IMAGE: AP