Juan Antonio Bayona, director of "The Orphanage" and "The Impossible," has been tapped to direct the first two episodes of "Penny Dreadful," the Sam Mendes-produced drama series coming to Showtime.
The eight-episode series, which re-teams Mendes with "Skyfall" writer John Logan — who created, wrote and is executive producing the series — is billed as "a psychosexual horror series" featuring some of literature's most iconic figures. Production on the series, which Mendes is also executive producing (as is Pippa Harris) begins in London this fall.
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The project depicts characters such as Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and characters from the novel "Dracula" becoming embroiled in Victorian London, weaving together classic horror origin stories as the characters grapple with their monstrous alienation.
Spanish director Bayona is the recipient of multiple Goya Awards.