Here’s everything to know about Natalie Dormer and ‘Penny Dreadful’

When Penny Dreadful finished its third season back in 2016, series creator John Logan told fans he finished telling the story he wanted, and the show was finished as he knew it. No one expected a new story, until Logan came out with Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. 

Taking on Mexican-American folklore this time, City of Angels sets itself in 1930’s Los Angeles during the building of the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Logan said he wanted to tell a story that showed the drama of the past, but also the present. In production now, the spin-off of the award-winning Showtime series aims to do just that. 

A star-studded cast lead by Natalie Dormer and Daniel Zovatto, City of Angels has a lot going for it to draw in fans of Penny Dreadful, and entice newcomers to the franchise. We have everything you need to know about revisiting this beloved franchise, and how Logan is breathing new life in.

Natalie and Daniel are just the beginning

Daniel Zovatto (Lady Bird) takes on the role of Tiago Vega, the first Chicano LAPD detective, who gets pulled into a horrific murder investigation, working with his mentor, Nathan Lane’s (The Lion King) Lewis Michener. On the other hand, Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) stars as a literal demon named Magda. 

Fans of the original Penny Dreadful will be excited to hear The Creature, Rory Kinnear (Skyfall) will make a return, though as a new character this time around. Starring alongside Zovatto, Lane, and Dormer is Adriana Barraza (The Strain), Jessica Garza (The Purge), and Michael Gladis (Mad Men). 

Logan isn’t the only Dreadful crew coming back

Penny Dreadful was the brainchild of John Logan and Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall) back in 2013. While Logan served as showrunner, Mendes served as executive producer. The two are back in their original roles on Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, with fellow executive producers Pippa Harris returning. Director Paco Cabezas directed four episodes of the original, and is on to direct the pilot for City of Angels. 

In terms of new faces, Michael Aguilar, Claire Newman, James Bagley, Davin Michaels, and Mark Tobey are on board as producers. Director Sheree Folkson has hopped around to a bunch of different shows (American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Ugly Betty, Claws) and has found his way onto City of Angels for two episodes. No additional writers to Logan have been announced yet, but we expect to see some old and new in the writers room. 

How does 1938 LA relate to Victorian London?

The jump from Victorian literary icons to Mexican-American folktales seems strange. But creator Logan says that there’s still a huge string tying Penny Dreadful to City of Angels. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Logan specifically says Dormer’s Magda is the tie between both series. 

Don’t expect too much of the same horror elements from Penny Dreadful though. Logan’s motivation for coming back to this universe is to tell the story of 1938 LA when it was basically Mexico in the US, and how the issues of the past are the same as today. According to Dormer, the core of this spinoff is focusing on the “demonization of the other.” 

Logan will make his grand return in 2020

Since the show is still in production, no word yet on exactly when in 2020 Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will debut. Expect the new series sometime in the second half of 2020, assuming no delays pop up during the remainder of production.