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| 'Penny Dreadful' on Showtime |
I'm sure everyone has heard of the term "
Penny Dreadful." I've used it myself on a occasion. In actuality, Penny Dreadful was never a person, but a thing. A Penny Dreadful was a fictional British publication in the 19th century that could be purchased for a penny. Similar to the
pulp fiction publications of the 1940s, the Penny Dreadful's were not known for their literary quality, but were more sensational in nature. For example, the fictional character "
Sweeney Todd" originated in a Penny Dreadful publication in the mid-1800s.
Showtime's 'Penny Dreadful' is more in line with
Alan Moore's '
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' comic (and feature film). The series will be set in Victorian London and feature a slew of classic monsters, Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and Dracula. The series will also feature an Allan Quartermain-like character, which will be played by
Timothy Dalton. Dalton will play "a hardened African explorer," which I guess means "hunter," similar to Quartermain.
Eva Green will be the series lead and appears to be a "Mina Harker"-like character.
Josh Hartnett co-stars as Ethan Chandler, a "charming, dash, man of action." Otherwise known as Tom Sawyer (again, similar to 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen).
Hmmm, now that I think about it, 'Penny Dreadful' is a total ripoff of 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.' I'm actually amazed that Showtime hasn't been sued yet for copyright infringement? But then again, the characters exist in public domain, which was why Moore used the characters in the first place. But this particular mashup was Alan Moore's baby. Shouldn't Moore at least get a credit? Nope.
Besides the obvious similarities from 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,' 'Penny Dreadful' seems to have a good cast and a solid production team.
John Logan of '
Hugo' and '
Skyfall' wrote the pilot and serves as an executive producer, alongside director
Sam Mendes. 'Penny Dreadful' premieres on Showtime on
May 11, 2014 at 10:00 p.m. EST. Please note that it is not a show for the kiddies. I'm hoping that the show will be more like '
Game of Thrones' and less like '
True Blood.' Teaser below.
