First exciting details of Jenji Kohan’s HBO drama The Devil You Know have been revealed by Season Zero in a pilot preview.
The drama has a formidable writing / directing creative combo in Jenji Kohan and Gus Van Sant and is based on the historical Salem Witch trials in 17th century New England. Damien completed filming the pilot in March, in Boston USA.
Our fave actor is appearing as Robert Putnam alongside a clutch of super-talents, including Eddie Izzard, who plays his Father Thomas Putnam, Ever Carradine, Karen Gillan, Kate Nash, James Marsters, Nadia Alexander, Ismenia Mendes, Zawe Ashton, Julian Rhind Tutt, Matthew James Thomas, Nigel Lindsay, Ewen Bremner, Karen Gillan, Hannah Nordberg, Naian Gonzalez Norvind.
Check out all the juicy new info below. (Fair warning, the following contains spoilers and adult themes.)
Also known as “New World“. Pilot “One To Tear My Soul Away” written & produced by Jenji Kohan (Orange is the new black, Weeds), Bruce & Tracy Miller (The 100, Eureka, ER). Co-produced by Mark Burley & Tara Herrmann (Orange is the new black, Weeds). Directed & co-produced by Gus Van Sant (Boss, The Sea of Trees, Harvey Milk, Elephant, Will Hunting). For HBO & Lionsgate Television. 66 pages.
Description: The circumstances around one of the most compelling chapters in American history in 1692 where intolerance and repression set neighbor against neighbor and led Salem, New England, one of the first towns in America, to mass hysteria.
With Eddie Izzard (Hannibal, United States Of Tara, The Riches), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Selfie, Guardians of the Galaxy), Ever Carradine (Once & Again), James Marsters (Buffy, Angel, Smallville), Anne Dudek (Big Love, Dr House, Mad Men), Mary Mouser (Body Of Proof, NCIS), Damien Molony (Ripper Street, Being Human), Kate Nash, Ewen Bremner, Nadia Alexander, Nigel Lindsay, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Hannah Nordberg, Will Pullen, Ismenia Mendes…
Jenji Kohan’s no-so-secret weapon might be her very distinctive female voice. HBO is more of a male-oriented channel, with a few exceptions. That’s how it is. The Devil You Know is definitely a provocative drama that put women at the center of it all. Some of them take drugs. Others are in cage. Most of them FEEL caged. They don’t sell weeds and they don’t wear orange jumpsuit, but they are not that different from Nancy Botwin or Piper Chapman. They are their ancestors. They were there at the beginning of the new world and damn, they suffered. Source: Season Zero
The Devil You Know starts with a scary scene that resembles Game Of Thrones’ opening, but less gory. A young girl named Betty is walking in the snow on a frigid day, during the coldest winter of the century – the sixteenth century. She feeds the pigs while singing, when a dark man moves closer and closer to her, until she sees his head: he has the face of a crow. He spreads his huge wings, takes off and flies into the clear white sky while Betty is running away towards the village. Salem. During the whole pilot, Betty has visions of crows attacking humans, ravaging bodies, eating raw flesh. Like she’s possessed. By the devil? But she’s not the only one having troubles. Then the first few pages are boring, ‘cos the show looks like something we’ve already seen a thousand times. A history drama, not far from a documentary about American history. It’s not uninteresting but not particularly engaging either. We’re introduced to a least 20 different characters. That doesn’t help. But as the story progresses, it gets less and less conventional, and more and more fascinating. Everybody turn out to be fucked-up! Like really fucked-up. The whole city is in on the verge of hysteria: women are devious, lustful, men are perverted and greedy. Even children are dreadful. For example, a group of women (lesbians?) are rubbing and penetrating their vaginas with broomsticks by the fire; while Ann, a 15 year-old girl (who is the closest to a heroin) is giving a handjob to a young man to make him testify in favor of her father, who happens to have a conflict with the richest man of the town. And there’s also a hint of incest, raw fucking with love, a very violent rape performed by an Indian tribe… yes, there’s definitely a lot of sex. Even True Blood‘s characters would blush. Is it a fantasy show? I can’t say. We have to wait 60 pages out of 66 to be introduced to dark magic and possible witchcraft. And it’s OK. Source: Season Zero
The Devil You Know is an experiment, its own beast, wild and provocative, a show about townspeople discovering a new world, through a female perspective. I don’t think there is anything like it on TV right now. It’s very different from what Jenji Kohan did before. It’s tantalazing and exciting. What is HBO waiting for to order it? It needs to be on air as soon as possible! Source: Season Zero
We’re already spellbound… and with such a compelling story brought to life by a magically talented cast and creative team we completely agree with Season Zero, The Devil You Know must be brought to screen for us all to see. HBO, we have faith in you!
Watch this space for more news as it happens.
The Devil You Know is created and co-written by Jenji Kohan, Bruce Miller and Tracy Miller, directed by Gus Van Sant and co-produced by HBO and Lionsgate TV.
papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
I think somebody has already mentioned it before in this thread, but 'different' seems to be something that attracts Damien. It's a word that was used a lot when Suspects first aired - and The Body of an American was different to any other theatre which I've experienced.....
When it's good, being different can make something exceptionally good, so that makes me happy!
In some ways 'The Devil You Know' feels like a return to 'Tis Pity She's a Whore' for Damien. If you've seen photos or read the script, you have some idea of the intensity of the story.
The play's central relationship was incest between brother and sister, which is very much a taboo in modern society. More so than it was at the time, in fact. The brother's jealousy toward his sister's suitor, and his violent response to the possibility of that relationship ending, was the climactic scene of the play.
The world of the play is so 'fucked up' that the siblings had nobody else to trust or rely on, and their relationship began as the healthiest one in the play! Only when the world around them interfered did things go bad. The play is twisted, passionate, and brutal. We have a still shot from the play of Damien bloodied, waving his sister's heart skewered on his dagger. He'd leapt onto the banquet table in the midst of her betrothal dinner. Quite an entrance!
Quite a choice for his first role, fresh out of drama school. The man is fearless as an actor, and he loves complex, dangerous roles. We saw hints of that in Hal Yorke and the barest suggestion of it in Albert Flight. We shouldn't be surprised by anything that happens in TDYK.
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He'd have told me to join him, and I would. - still true!
'Tis Pity came to my mind when reading this preview too TJ, but only because it appears TDYK will be dealing with taboo themes.. it sounds to me like the latter is going to be far more provocative. And that is saying something when comparing it to one of the most provocative plays in th history of English literature.
I am trying not to get too excited but do hope for Robert Putnam to be giving Damien a complex dangerous role - what a thrill to see Damien's talents unleashed in that direction!
Good point fifi, I'd not fully considered that as an idea before.
Domino, the phrase 'Damien's talents unleashed in that direction' just made me smile. That's what we hoped for with Hal, wasn't it? And yet we got less of that in him than we had in Mitchell.
Also, I think we all know which direction I'd like to see Damien's talents unleashed in.
Different is an excellent point, fifi. He does like different, which makes his work more exciting for us!
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He'd have told me to join him, and I would. - still true!
The preview has given me great hope that we can expect something at least a bit less than conventional with all the characters though. And some serious shock factor! That is, if the script is fully translated on the screen.
The brief comment on genre placement iintrigues..... will it be fantasy?
I love different, love things that need pondering, discussing with other's to actually work out own thoughts after its finished...That way no ones thoughts are wrong and how each persons opinions are based on personal beliefs, values etc.... I love that sort of thing.... Which is why love edinburgh fringe, I give anything a go and think you can't have an opinion on something you haven't seen (in my opinion)
WOW! Check out James Marsters talking about The Devil You Know - he confirms how controversial it is going to be and shares lots of new insider info, he talks about series...and it strongly suggests it is going to be picked up!
Blown away by all this from Jame Marsters on TDYK.....
The "wild and provocative" from the pilot preview now looks like an understatement!
You do realise this is the project everyone in Los Angeles wants to be part of?
It's really about a community that eats itself alive and there's not a lot of heroes in that story.
They assured me they wouldn't kill me in the first season, so hopefully I'll last a couple of season before they crush me to death.
There are going to be scenes that are gonna make a lot of people angry, frankly.
In Game of Thrones there's a lot of cheesecake, a lot of beefcake, a lot of sexy scenes, but the sexuality in this is a lot edgier, I don't want to give too much away, but it will offend people.
Everything in it, no matter how racy or controversial feeds the theme of the story, it's not just in there gratuitously, it all adds up to something, it's real art.
HBO said they were more excited about it than they've ever been about any project, they loved the dailies, they basically cannibalised all their television shows fir the top people - their top director of photography, their top computer effects - all their top people they brought them together to make this thing.
We're just waiting to see if it's picked up and if it is we're waiting for winter to descend on the east coast again so they can freeze us to death again!
It certainly sounds as if HBO have every intention of picking it up for a series (or 2?!) even if they haven't done so yet. James Marsters seems totally sold on it...in a very genuine, not put on enthusiatic kinda way...if you know what I mean.
"It's real art" is an interesting phrase to use. 'Edgy', 'controversial'......it's all sounding very good to me! I look foward to seeing if I'm offended.
So....apparently everyone in LA wants to be involved in this?.....and Damien's in it!!!
I'd express my excitement about the project in my usual language but it wouldn't make it onto the forum. Let's just say
OMFG!!!!! I want this to be a show, and I want Damien in it. Please, please, please let him stay in the cast from pilot to series!!!
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He'd have told me to join him, and I would. - still true!
Loving the comparison to Game Of Thrones. It certainly sounds like the material is controversial, maybe why it is taking a while to get a decision on going to series?
Fifi, that struck me strongly too.. and also what I find most baffling - if HBO themselves stole all their best people to make it and were more excited than ever for it, why is there even a quesiton about it being greenlit? Sounds super hopeful to me!
Pearl HBO have their own subscription services like HBO Go and HBO Now, so where it will be available online who knows. Fingers crossed for internationally though
TJ, I'm with you on the excitement levels!!! Re Damien's casting when it goes to series, it had not even crossed my mind ... the only reason I can see he wouldn't is if he had something (mega) else lined up.