There’s nothing cooler than hearing Insidious star Lin Shaye share what she and Nathan Lane are up to in Penny Dreadful: City of Angels: “We’re Nazi hunters!” Showrunner John Logan’s follow-up to Penny Dreadful feels like it’s less about the monsters in fantasy books and more about the ones in real life. According to Shaye, that’s not by accident.
In an interview with Gizmodo for The Grudge, Shaye took some time to chat about the upcoming Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, which shifts the scene from Victorian-era London to Los Angeles in 1938 ” with more of a focus on Mexican-American folklore instead of English literature.
The series, which also features Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer, dives into everything from suburban sprawl to the rise of radio evangelism. Then, there’s the growing threat of the Third Reich. According to Shaye, there’s a very specific reason these were the stories Logan chose to tell.
“They wanted him to do a fourth season because it was very successful, people loved the show, and he said he just didn’t have anything further to say about that ” until Donald Trump became president,” Shaye said. “And then, he had some things he wanted to express.”
Shaye also shared some information about her character, Dottie Minter, an older woman ” or, as she put it, “an old-old lady” who is “dressed to the nines” ” who’s teamed up with Detective Lewis Michener (Lane) to help hunt a bunch of Nazis doing espionage work in the City of Angels.
They’re currently in the middle of filming the first season, with a massive and impressive set that’s recreated Los Angeles in the 1930s. But Shaye has no idea what’s in store. She said it’s been kind of a wild ride, because she has no clue where her character’s story arc is going next. Why’s that? “John won’t tell us.”
“I’m just like a pig in doodoo,” she joked. “I’m very excited about it.”
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels is currently in production and no release date has been announced.