Eddie Izzard Joins Cast of Jenji Kohen's New HBO Pilot THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

According to Deadline, acclaimed comedian Eddie Izzard has siged on for Jenji Kohen's upcoming HBO pilot THE DEVIL YOU KNOW. Nadia Alexander and Ismenia Mendes have also joined the project, formally titled NEW WORLD.

The series "explores the circumstances around one of the most compelling chapters in American history - the infamous Salem Witch Trials in 17th century New England, where intolerance and repression set neighbor against neighbor and led a town to mass hysteria.

Izzard plays farmer Thomas Putnam, the conservative, rigid and devoutly Puritan patriarch of the powerful Putnam family. He is a leader in agrarian Salem Village, but his top position is being threatened from many sides.

Alexander plays another lead role, the bright and ambitious Ann Putnam Jr., who is unsure of her role as a woman in this world but determined to discover her place in it.

Mendes, a newcomer out of Juilliard, plays Mercy Lewis, a captured servant girl from Maine who must summon her inner resources."

One of the most acclaimed comedians of his generation, Izzard's unique, tangential, absurd, and surreal comic narratives are lauded for their creativity and wit, earning him a New York Drama Desk Award and two Emmys for Dress to Kill, two British Comedy Awards for Top Stand-Up Comedian, and an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement.

In the U.S., Izzard is the first solo stand-up comedian to perform at the Hollywood Bowl; he has sold-out three consecutive nights at Radio City Music Hall and toured arenas throughout the U.S. including a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.

On TV, Izzard will star in the Playstation original series, Powers, premiering on March 10. He guest starred in the series, Hannibal, on NBC, starred in and served as a producer on the critically acclaimed FX Network Show, The Riches, opposite Minnie Driver, guest starred in the final season of Showtime's United States of Tara, and his 2010 documentary, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story, received an Emmy nomination.

His long list of film and stage credits includes Valkyrie opposite Tom Cruise, Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Thirteen and Ocean's Twelve opposite George Clooney and Brad Pitt, David Mamet's Race and The Cryptogram, the title role in Marlowe's Edward II, and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg in London and on Broadway which won him a handful of awards, including a Tony nomination for Best Actor.

Photo by Walter McBride

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