“Mad Men” actor Michael Gladis (pictured below) has joined the cast of Showtime’s upcoming “Penny Dreadful” spin-off “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” alongside Daniel Zovatto (Don’t Breathe) Lorenza Izzo ( The Green Inferno), and Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones”), Deadline reports.
From the original series’ creator, writer and executive producer John Logan, the series is a “spiritual” descendent of the Victorian-era London series “Penny Dreadful“.
The next chapter will employ a new vision, new characters, and storylines. “City of Angels” is set in 1938 Los Angeles; a time and place deeply infused with social and political tension. When a grisly murder rocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega (Zovatto) finds himself entwined in an epic story that reflects the rich history of Los Angeles: from the building of the city’s first freeways and its deep traditions of Mexican-American folklore to the dangerous espionage actions of the Third Reich and the rise of radio evangelism. Before long, Tiago and his family are wrestling with powerful forces that threaten to tear them apart.
Adam Rodriguez (“CSI: Miami”), Thomas Kretschmann (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Dominic Sherwood (Shadowhunters), Ethan Peck (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Kerry Bishé, Adriana Barraza, Rory Kinnear, Jessica Garza, Johnathan Nieves, Nathan Lane. Amy Madigan, Brent Spiner, and Lin Shaye also have recurring roles.
Gladis stars as Councilman Charlton Townsend, the ambitious head of the L.A. City Council’s Transportation Committee and a man of killer instincts and ruthless political wiles. Izzo will play the role of Santa Muerte, the Angel of Holy Death and sister of the charismatic demoness, Magda (Dormer).
Rodriguez will play Raul Vega, the eldest son of the Vega family and a righteous union leader and advocate for his people.
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 said. “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.”
“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” is executive produced by Logan and Aguilar along with the original series’ executive producers Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris of Neal Street Productions. Logan’s Desert Wolf Productions will produce. James Bagley will serve as co-executive producer.
