Casting Call: Penny Dreadful
In which we suggest who should star in the next big adaptation, remake, or historical film.
Skyfall director Sam Mendes and his co-writer John Logan are teaming up with Showtime to create a “psychosexual thriller” based around some of literary fiction’s most famous villains. The show is called Penny Dreadful (named for the cheap comic books circulating in 19th-century Britain) and the cast of characters will include Dr. Frankenstein and his creature, Dorian Gray, Dracula, Van Helsing, and more. Oh, boy.
This pitch sounds little gimmicky and tired (The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, ABC’s Once Upon A Time), but we trust Showtime, the home of disturbingly awesome Dexter and the drama hit Homeland, to make this series interesting and original.
According to Showtime’s President of Entertainment, David Nevins, the show will be set in London at the turn of the century (we assume he means the 20th century) and will not involve any crime-fighting. Nevins also confirmed that Penny Dreadful will likely shoot in London; so, we’ve put together a very British cast for what sounds like a deeper, psychological look at some of the darkest characters in literature.
Casting Call runs every Friday. For more, click here.
