In November 2018 the legions of Penny Dreadful fans were treated to the announcement that Showtime was resurrecting the series, which had ended after its third season. Some fans felt this was a premature ending, but given that it was a decision made by creator John Logan and not a cancellation, it was hard to argue with.
The news of the new show, Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels, told fans that they were in for something very different this time and they shouldn’t necessarily expect a direct sequel to the Victorian horror literature mashup they loved so much. Here are seven things we know so far about the spinoff.
SERIES CREATOR JOHN LOGAN IS BEHIND THIS SHOW TOO
Penny Dreadful creator John Logan is returning for this sequel series and that can only be a good thing. While it will make a dramatic shift away from the settings and characters of the original show, the pedigree Logan brings makes us believe he’ll know how to make the new series just as brilliant as the original one.
Logan is a three-time Academy Award nominee for screenwriting, with nominations for Gladiator, The Aviator, and Hugo. He has also written two Bond films (Skyfall and Spectre), Alien: Covenant and The Last Samurai. The man clearly knows his way around a story and it’s exciting to see him return to his only television creation.
IT’S DESCRIBED AS A ‘SPIRITUAL DESCENDENT’ OF THE ORIGINAL SHOW
Described as a ‘spiritual descendant’ of the original show, which was set in Victorian-era London, here is the official synopsis of Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels, which is set in 1938 Los Angeles. “When a murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega is embroiled in an epic story that reflects the rich history of Los Angeles: from the building of the city’s first freeways and its deep traditions of Mexican-American folklore, to the dangerous espionage actions of the Third Reich and the rise of radio evangelism. Before long, Tiago and his family are grappling with powerful forces that threaten to tear them apart.”
THE 1938 LOS ANGELES SETTING HINTS AT A SUPERNATURALLY INFUSED FILM NOIR VIBE
The change in setting of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is a huge one. The story is jumping nearly forty years into the future and is crossing the ocean from London to Los Angeles, with an entirely new cast of characters. While this might be jarring for fans who love the spooky Victorian setting, we have to admit that we’re pretty excited about the possibilities of this new setting. It conjures images of hardboiled detectives and gorgeous femme fatales in a film noir style story, but shot through with a dose of the supernatural, which sounds awesome to us.
There has always been a literary history of occult-based detectives, from Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files to the Winchester Brothers in Supernatural. The most famous example in geek culture is undoubtedly DC/Vertigo’s John Constantine. If it manages to nail that unsettling vibe, with the detective feeling in his bones that something unknowable and inexplicable is happening in his city, then the show could be very special indeed.
IT WILL EXPLORE REAL LIFE HISTORY AS WELL AS SOCIAL, RACIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES
The appeal of the original Penny Dreadful was the notion of classic horror literature characters such as Frankenstein’s Monster, Dorian Gray and Dracula crossing over with each other. It somewhat balanced the monsters and gore with the economic desperation of Victorian London, but City Of Angels will be much more obviously politically and socially conscious. As John Logan explains: “Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels will have a social consciousness and historical awareness that we chose not to explore in the…London storylines.
We will now be grappling with specific historical and real-world political, religious, social and racial issues. In 1938, Los Angeles was facing some hard questions about its future and its soul. Our characters must do the same. There are no easy answers. There are only powerful questions and arresting moral challenges. As always in the world of Penny Dreadful, there are no heroes or villains in this world, only protagonists and antagonists; complicated and conflicted characters living on the fulcrum of moral choice.”
NATALIE DORMER PLAYS MAGDA, A SHAPESHIFTING DEMON
Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer was recently cast as Magda, a demon who can take on the appearance of anyone she chooses and manifests in a number of different guises in the show. Described as charismatic, clever and chameleon-like, Magda is a dangerous enemy and an invaluable ally. Dormer is making a return to the Showtime network for this role, after previously starring in The Tudors.
The enigmatic actress should fit into the world of Penny Dreadful brilliantly, as she very capably portrays surface beauty with something very sinister lurking just underneath; a look at her performance as Moriarty in Elementary showcases this perfectly.
THREE OTHER CAST MEMBERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED
The series stars Daniel Zovatto as the main protagonist, Detective Tiago Vega. The 27-year-old has been carving out a noteworthy career for himself in recent years, with roles in It Follows, Lady Bird and Don’t Breathe. He also has some geek cred due to a recurring role in Fear The Walking Dead. Jessica Garza (The Purge TV show) and Johnathan Nieves (New Amsterdam, Better Call Saul) play Tiago’s younger siblings, Josefina and Mateo.
No other casting announcements have been made, but given the fact that the original show starred the likes of Josh Hartnett, Eva Green and Timothy Dalton, there’s sure to be a few star names added to the mix.
PACO CABEZAS WILL DIRECT MULTIPLE EPISODES
The first director lined up for the show is Paco Cabezas, an extremely experienced television and film director. Cabezas actually directed four episodes of the original Penny Dreadful’s third season, including the series finale ‘The Blessed Dark’, so he is clearly someone John Logan trusts with his vision.
Cabezas has directed episodes of The Alienist,Deadly Class, The Strain, American Godsand Into The Badlands, on which he also served as Executive Producer, and will surely bring something special to City of Angels. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see other directors from the original show, such as Damon Thomas and James Hawes, being brought back for another go-around.
