Marilyn Manson Joins The Cast Of ‘Salem’ Season Three
Shock rocker Marilyn Manson is adding a new acting role to his impressive resume. Rolling Stone reports that Manson, whose musical hits includes the controversial “The Beautiful People,” is poised to join the cast of the WGN hit horror-drama Salem for the series’ third season.
Marilyn Manson will reportedly play a complex role (as most of the roles on the dark series tend to be), that of Thomas Dinley. How does newcomer Dinley fit into the Salem cast of characters? According to a statement released by the show, Marilyn Manson’s onscreen persona will be that of a barber/surgeon who is “the go-to man in Salem, from a shave and a haircut to being leeched, bled, sliced open or sewn up.” Production for the third season of Salem began on Thursday in Shreveport, Louisiana.
While this will be Manson’s first onscreen role on the popular TV series, which tells the highly supernatural (albeit fictionalized) story of what went on in Salem, Massachusetts during the infamous witch trials, he’s been part of the series since before it hit the small screen. Marilyn Manson worked in conjunction with Tyler Bates, the show’s composer, to create the Salem’s main theme. Salem’s theme comes from the Marilyn Manson song “Cupid Carries a Gun,” which is a track from his 2015 album, The Pale Emperor.
The Salem theme hit the airwaves in April 2014, eight full months before The Pale Emperor was released.
While Marilyn Manson (and Salem) fans may be stoked at the rocker’s upcoming stint on the series, Fuse reports that Marilyn Manson has only signed on for a guest role on the series.
It also appears that Manson is doing some self-promotion, taking to Twitter to announce his upcoming appearance on the show.
Looks like I will behold some witch drum pounding. See you in Salem
— Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) January 22, 2016
This isn’t the first time that Marilyn Manson has lent his star power to a television series. In recent years, Manson has appeared on some highly-popular TV shows, including Californication, Eastbound & Down, and Sons of Anarchy. In fact, it was through his work with Sons of Anarchy that he found some contributing vocals for his song “Slave Only Dreams to be King.” Mason reportedly hit up co-star Walton Goggins to work with him on the song. Initially, Goggins was hesitant, but Marilyn Manson had faith in his fit for the job.
“Have you heard me sing? I can’t f***ing carry a tune!”
Marilyn Manson isn’t the first music superstar to join the cast of a horror-drama television series in recent memory. Lady Gaga undertook a pivotal role during Season 5 of the hugely popular FX series American Horror Story. Her role in the fifth installment of the series, American Horror Story: Hotel, was first reported on early in 2015. When Variety spilled the beans on Gaga’s role, details were few and far between, however, she was used to tease the season repeatedly up until its October 2015 premiere.
Ultimately, the premiere episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, featuring the much-touted Lady Gaga as “The Countess,” ended up being ratings gold. Variety reports that the season opener had the second-highest ratings ever for the network, coming in behind only the previous season’s premiere.
It remains to be seen whether Marilyn Manson will be able to draw in the viewers as successfully.
The third season of Salem, reports the Wrap, picks up right where Season 2 left off. The witches have been triumphant in their plan to bring the devil to the Earth, and he plans to make Salem his capital. Unfortunately, the witches of Salem soon find that the devil is a liar and must be stopped by the woman who birthed him, star of the series since the first episode, Mary Sibley (played by Janet Montgomery). Too bad she’s dead.
Or is she?
It’s too early to tell. WGN has not yet released the premiere date for Salem’s third season, nor has the network confirmed whether star Janet Montgomery will be returning to the cast to work alongside Marilyn Manson.
[Photo by Danny E. Martindale/Getty Images]
