Sacha Baron Cohen to star in 'The Spy' for Netflix

April 11 (UPI) -- British actor Sacha Baron Cohen is to star in Netflix's six-part, fact-based drama The Spy.

Gideon Raff wrote and will direct the limited series about Eli Cohen, an Israeli agent working in Syria in the early 1960s.

"He managed to embed himself into Syrian high society and rise through the ranks of their politics. His actions, connections and immense sacrifice have had lasting consequences, shaping the Middle East of today," a news release said.

The show is expected to air on OCS in France and will stream via Netflix everywhere else.

Cohen's other credits include Alice Through the Looking Glass, Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd, Hugo and Borat.

The real Eli Cohen was convicted of espionage and publicly hanged in 1965 at the age of 40.