She’s going from Westeros to West Hollywood. Showtime has announced that Game of Thrones and Hunger Games star Natalie Dormer will appear in the next chapter of the Penny Dreadful saga, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.
According to the press release, Dormer is taking on the role of Magda, “a supernatural demon who can take the appearance of anyone she chooses, and manifests in a number of [disguises] throughout the story”.
She’s joining previously announced cast members Jessica Garza and Jonathan Nieves, as well as Daniel Zovatto, who plays Detective Tiago Vega, the man investigating the grisly murder that starts this new chapter’s story.
Magda will inhabit the franchise’s new locale of 1938 Los Angeles. Unlike the previous tale, which took place in Victorian-era London, this one has fast-forwarded to a time and place that’s a bit closer to home.
According to Penny Dreadful creator John Logan, this will allow the story to delve not only into Mexican-American folklore, but also the social and political changes that were taking place during that time period — ones which we still feel the effects of today, such as the rise of the Third Reich and modern evangelicalism.
“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,” Logan said in a previous interview with Deadline.
The previous Penny Dreadful series, which starred the enigmatic Eva Green, ran from 2014 to 2016 and gained a cult following that continues to this day. Production is expected to start on Penny Dreadful: City of Angels later this year, but Showtime has not announced an expected release date.