Later this year, premium cable channel Showtime will unveil its spooky new period horror series Penny Dreadful, which explores a Victorian London populated by famous literary characters like Frankenstein’s monster and Dorian Gray. A lot about the series is still unknown, but the skill of the people involved is certainly enough to hold my attention until more details emerge. Creator John Logan previously penned the scripts for Skyfall, Hugo and Gladiator, and The Orphanage director Juan Antonio Bayona directed the first two episodes.
With its May premiere fast approaching, Showtime is stepping up the publicity campaign with the series’ first full-length trailer, which focuses on Eva Green’s enigmatic heroine Vanessa Ives, who battles demons of her own even as she collides with the various supernatural denizens of Penny Dreadful‘s alternate-history London. Check it out below:
Admittedly, there’s not a whole lot of plot in the trailer, but “A Place in the Shadows” does grant us a first look at the creepy, atmospheric feel of the series, as well as Green’s protagonist. The clip also prominently features Josh Hartnett, playing a gunslinger named Ethan who teams up with Ives to take on various creatures.
Penny Dreadful is still very much a question mark in my mind because, creepy though it looks, I’ve yet to see enough of the show to convince me that it will be able to stand apart from other premium cable offerings. Additionally, I’m hoping that Logan will be smart enough to keep the show light and fun, as another depressingly dark horror series (see also: The Walking Dead) might be too much for me to handle.
That said, it’s not difficult to get excited about the possibilities for Penny Dreadful. Green and Hartnett are both proven talents, and the diverse literary canvas of characters that Logan will be able to draw from should make for some very interesting storylines. The concept reminds me a little of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Logan has certainly proven that he knows how to write innovative action sequences, so if all the parts come together well, Penny Dreadful might just become mandatory viewing for fans of classic horror.
Tell us, are you interested in checking out this new Showtime series? Do you think that Penny Dreadful will connect with viewers, or flop? We don’t have that long to wait to find out as the show premieres on May 11th, 2014.
