Robert Wisdom and Q’orianka Kilcher have joined the cast of TNT’s The Alienist. The series, based on the novel by Caleb Carr, follows criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and newspaper illustrator John Moore as they conduct a secret investigation into the murder of a number of boy prostitutes.
Wisdom will play Kreizler’s valet, Cyrus; Kilcher will assay the role of Mary, Kreizler’s mute maid.
The Alienist is slated to premiere later this year.
Robert Wisdom and Q’orianka Kilcher Join TNT’s The Alienist
Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning Previously Cast in
Drama Series Based on Caleb Carr’s Bestseller,
Co-Produced by Paramount Television and Studio T
Robert Wisdom (The Wire) and Q’orianka Kilcher (The New World) are set to star in TNT’s The Alienist, the eagerly anticipated series based on the Anthony Award-winning, New York Times bestseller by Caleb Carr. They join fellow series regulars Daniel Brühl (Rush), who plays forensic psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler; Luke Evans (The Girl on The Train), who plays newspaper illustrator John Moore; and Dakota Fanning (American Pastoral), who plays Sara Howard, a headstrong secretary at Police Headquarters. Wisdom is set to play Cyrus, Kreizler’s valet, a man with a dark past who Kreizler has helped reform. Kilcher plays Mary, Kreizler’s mute maid with whom he shares a special unspoken connection. The series w ill follow the investigation into a series of brutal murders in New York during the Gilded Age.
Slated to premiere in late 2017 on TNT, a division of Turner, The Alienist will be directed and executive-produced by BAFTA-nominated director Jakob Verbruggen (Black Mirror). The series is a co-production of Paramount Television and Turner’s Studio T. Emmy® winner Cary Fukunaga (True Detective), Academy Award® winner Eric Roth (Forrest Gump), Oscar® nominee Hossein Amini (Drive) and Anonymous Content’s Steve Golin and Rosalie Swedlin all serve as executive producers. Production will begin in early 2017 in Budapest.
Based on the international best-selling novel by Caleb Carr, The Alienist is a psychological thriller set in the Gilded Age of New York City in 1896, a city of vast wealth, extreme poverty and technological innovation. When a series of haunting, gruesome murders of boy prostitutes grips the city, newly appointed police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt calls upon criminal psychologist (aka alienist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Brühl) and newspaper illustrator John Moore (Evans) to conduct the investigation in secret. They are aided by a makeshift crew of singular characters, among them the intrepid Sara Howard (Fanning), a young secretary on Roosevelt’s staff who is determined to become the first female police detective in New York City. Using the emerging disciplines of psychology and early forensic investigation techniques, this band of social outsiders tracks down one of New York City’s first serial killers.
Robert Wisdom just wrapped Beasts of Burden, opposite of Daniel Radcliffe and Grace Gummer. Before that, he played a lead in Live Cargo, which premiered at Tribeca this year. Wisdom can also be seen recurring on HBO’s Ballers and was recently on Flaked for Netflix. On the feature front, he recently wrapped Warner Bros.’ Unforgettable, alongside of Rosario Dawson and Katherine Heigl. Prior to that, he was a series regular on ABC’s Nashville, starred on HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire and starred opposite Wentworth Miller on the third season of Fox’s Prison Break. His additional credits include The Dark Knight Rises, Face Off, Storytelling and Ray.
At the age of 14, Q’orianka Kilcher was cast as the lead opposite Colin Farrell and Christian Bale in director Terrence Malick’s Oscar nominated film The New World. Her performance won her the National Board of Review’s best breakthrough performance of 2006 and the 2006 Alma Award for best Latin American actress in a feature film. She also starred in the title roles in Princess Kaiulani and Te Ata and recently reunited with Christian Bale in the upcoming film Hostiles. Some of Q’orianka’s other credits include the soon to be released film The Vault opposite James Franco, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Firelight, Sons of Anarchy, Sky, Longmire, Shouting Secrets, The Killing, and The Power Of Few, starring Christopher Walken and Christian Slater, a film she also produced via her production company iQ Films.