The upcoming horror sequel series, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels has expanded its cast with the additions of The Purge vet Jessica Garza and New Amsterdam‘s Johnathan Nieves in series regular roles. Deadline first reported the news.
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City of Angels will be set in 1938 Los Angeles, a time and place deeply infused with Mexican-American folklore and social tension. Rooted in the conflict between characters connected to the deity Santa Muerte and others allied with the Devil, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will explore an exciting mix of the supernatural and the combustible reality of that period, creating new occult myths and moral dilemmas within a genuine historical backdrop.
“PENNY DREADFUL: CITY OF ANGELS will have a social consciousness and historical awareness that we chose not to explore in the PENNY DREADFUL London storylines,” Logan added. “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.”
Garza and Nieves join Here and Now‘s Daniel Zavatto, who signed on last month to lead the series as the LAPD’s first Mexican-American detective Tiago Vega, who is described as struggling with childhood trauma, racism and faith as he and his family grapple with supernatural forces that threaten to tear them apart.
Garza will portray Josefina, the youngest member of the Vega family that is quiet but possesses a powerful spirit that wants to be released, while Nieves is set to play Mateo, Tiago’s explosive younger brother who means well but lacks the ambition and patience to walk the same righteous path as his brother.
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Creator John Logan will still be the upcoming spin-off series’ creator, writer and executive producer. The show’s production is scheduled to start in 2019 with Michael Aguilar (Kidding) to serve as executive producer. The new chapter is expected to feature new characters and storylines.
The Emmy nominated series ran on air for three seasons. Penny Dreadful is a unique mash-up of literary horror that followed the story of Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), and Sir Malcolm (Timothy Dalton) as they’ve worked together, at all costs, to vanquish the evil that relentlessly pursues them.
