Dr Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and characters from Dracula to feature in Victorian London-set show Penny Dreadful
Before you get too excited we should clarify: sadly it’s not a show about the gruesome life and times of SFX ’s resident horror columnist Penny Dreadful, but a psychological thriller series featuring some of horror literature’s most iconic creations. Skyfall duo Sam Mendes and John Logan will produce and write respectively.
The show will weave “classic horror origin stories” with the lives of several strangers who find themselves in the darkest corners of Victorian London, including Eva Green’s seductress Vanessa Ives, Josh Hartnett’s charming American Ethan Chandler and Billie Piper’s Irish immigrant Brona Croft.
Harry Treadaway ( Cockneys Vs Zombies ) will star as a young Victor Frankenstein, Reeve Carney (best known as Spider-Man in the musical Turn Off The Dark ) is Dorian Gray and Rory Kinnear will play a “mysterious character of haunting intensity” (let the speculation commence!) Timothy Dalton rounds out the cast as Sir Malcolm, a hardened African explorer on a personal quest.
John Logan says, "I'm thrilled to be bringing Penny Dreadful to life here in the UK, where the show is set and was conceived over many years of wandering the streets of London. I think the talent we are bringing together for the show promises to create something memorable ."
About the series, Anne Mensah , Sky’s Head of Drama, commented: “I could not be more excited to be bringing Penny Dreadful to Sky’s customers. We’re thrilled to be working with John Logan and Sam Mendes on what will be a stunning, mesmerising and terrifying series on a cinematic scale - all of which makes it perfect for Sky Atlantic.”
"John Logan and Sam Mendes are two of the great storytellers of our time," said David Nevins , President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks "The visual spectacle combined with the psychological insight in their reimagining of these iconic literary characters seems totally mesmerizing to me. This promises to be a wholly original television show."
