Sacha Baron Cohen to star as Eli Cohen in Netflix limited series 'The Spy'
Sacha Baron Cohen is set to headline the six-episode limited series The Spy, which will debut globally on Netflix (outside of France), and on OCS in France.
Written and directed by Gideon Raff, creator of the Israeli drama Prisoners of War on which Showtime’s Homeland was based, The Spy tells the story of legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen (Baron Cohen). Eli Cohen lived in Damascus undercover in the beginning of the ’60s, spying for Israel. He managed to embed himself into Syrian high society and rise through the ranks of their politics until he was uncovered by the Syrian regime, sentenced to death and publicly hanged in a Damascus square in 1965. Cohen is considered a national hero in Israel. His actions, connections and immense sacrifice have had lasting consequences, shaping the Middle East of today.
The Spy is produced by Légende Films and Alain Goldman.
Baron Cohen’s interest in Syria has led him and his wife, actress Isla Fisher, to donate to a number of organizations including a $1 million to support Syrian refugees in 2015 which resulted in 230,000 women and children getting inoculated.
Baron Cohen was the creator and star of Da Ali G Show, which originally aired in the UK before moving ti HBO. Baron Cohen’s memorable characters on the show spawned three movies, including blockbuster hit Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned Baron Cohen an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. Baron Cohen’s feature credits also include Les Misérables, Hugo, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the Madagascar animated franchise. Baron Cohen currently appears in Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity, which is streaming globally on Netflix. He is repped by CAA and Ziffren Brittenham.
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