LEGENDARY MUSIC ICON MARILYN MANSON JOINS THE WITCH WARS IN WGN AMERICA'S SPELLBINDING ORIGINAL DRAMA "SALEM"

Celebrated Recording Artist Guest Stars in Season Three, Joining Series Stars Janet Montgomery, Shane West, Seth Gabel, Ashley Madekwe, Tamzin Merchant, Elise Eberle, Iddo Goldberg, Joe Doyle and Oliver Bell

Production on the Supernatural Thriller from Creators Brannon Braga and Adam Simon and Fox 21 Television Studios Begins Today

Marilyn Manson (photo credit: Jiro Schneider); Cast of "Salem" (photo credit: WGN America)

SHREVEPORT, LA, (January 21, 2016) - Legendary artist Marilyn Manson will join the cast of WGN America's hit supernatural thriller "Salem" in a special guest starring role, it was announced today. Production on the original drama's third season, produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, begins today in Shreveport, LA.

Manson will portray "Thomas Dinley," a barber and surgeon who is the go-to man in Salem, from a shave and a haircut to being leeched, bled, sliced open or sewn up. The four-time Grammy nominee is no stranger to the cable network's first scripted original, having previously collaborated with "Salem's" composer Tyler Bates on the show's opening title sequence. The hauntingly dark track, "Cupid Carries a Gun," sets the tone for the enthralling one-hour drama which boldly reimagines the infamous 17th century witch trials in a world where witches are real, but they are not who or what they seem to be.

Continuing its bloody, sexy and fantastical reimagining of Colonial America, "Salem's" third season dawns with the triumph of the witches' plan to remake the New World by bringing the devil to earth and making Salem his capital. But the devil is a liar, and instead of a New World free from murderous Puritan hypocrisy, his own plan will bring nothing but death and slavery with the ultimate aim of leading humanity to destroy itself. And there's only one person on earth who can beat the devil -- the very witch that birthed him, his mother, Mary Sibley. The only problem is - she's dead. Or is she?

"Salem" stars Janet Montgomery ("Human Target," "Made in Jersey") as Mary Sibley, Shane West ("Nikita," "ER") as Captain John Alden, Seth Gabel ("Arrow," "Fringe") as Cotton Mather, Ashley Madekwe ("Revenge") as Tituba, Tamzin Merchant ("Jane Eyre") as Anne Hale, Elise Eberle ("The Astronaut Farmer") as Mercy Lewis, Iddo Goldberg ("Mob City") as Isaac Walton, Joe Doyle ("Raw") as Baron Sebastian Marburg and Oliver Bell ("The Saint") as Mary's son.

Created and written by Brannon Braga and Adam Simon, "Salem" is executive-produced by Braga, Simon, Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson and Prospect Park's Jeff Kwatinetz and Josh Barry. The series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios.

Follow "Salem" on Twitter and YouTube @SalemWGNA. "Like" the series on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalemWGNA.

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WGN America and Tribune Studios

WGN America, the flagship entertainment network of Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO), is nationally distributed in 80 million homes via cable, satellite and telco, with high quality entertainment programming including the breakout hit series "Salem," Emmy Award-winning drama "Manhattan," and upcoming scripted dramas "Outsiders" and "Underground." The network also brings its audience a strong slate of popular first-run syndicated series and blockbuster movies. Through Tribune Studios, the creative development arm of Tribune Media, original content is produced for WGN America and Tribune local stations nationwide. Follow the network on Twitter @wgnamerica. For additional information, please visit www.wgnamerica.com.

Fox 21 Television Studios

Fox 21 Television Studios is a production unit housed within Fox Television Group devoted to making creatively ambitious scripted and unscripted series for all distribution platforms. Fox 21 Television Studios currently produces the Emmy and Golden Globe winning "Homeland," starring Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin, the critically acclaimed "The Americans" (with FX Productions) starring Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, and the eagerly anticipated "The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" from Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.