Penny Dreadful spin-off adds Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer!

If you didn’t know, Penny Dreadful has an upcoming spin-off entitled Penny Dreadful: City of Angels — and expectations are high. Very high. The series was awesome, and also quite possibly had the most abrupt ending in the history of … well, ever. no one knew it was coming except the network and they have long insisted that this was always when and how the show was going to end, but for us, seeing the words “the end” come up left us feeling like there was still so much more story to tell. Vanessa was always a character that was was doomed to end the way she did, but couldn’t we have had at least two more seasons in between? Eva Green’s performance was so beautifully harrowing we can’t help but want more. Also Rory Kinnear became one of our favorite actors on the planet after his portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster. Broke our heart every time he was on screen.

This time the spin-off is shifting to Los Angeles (hence the title), and is diving a little bit more into Mexican-American folklore. It’s sort of the same show, just with a different vibe and people/creatures that go bump in the night. Original creator John Logan is still involved, so signs are pointing towards this being a hit. Of course, “signs’ by no means guarantee that the show actually will be since the bar has been set impossibly high.

Now that we’ve already pumped your veins full of Penny Dreadful excitement, let’s do that a little bit more: Natalie Dormer is coming on board as a series regular.

Via TVLine, the Game of Thrones alum — whose impressive resume also includes The Tudors and an infuriatingly-short arc on Elementary as Moriarty (why is she not back already?!) — is going to be playing the part of Magda. She’s described as “a supernatural demon who can take the appearance of anyone she chooses and manifests in a number of guises throughout the story. Charismatic, clever and chameleonic, Magda is a dangerous enemy and an invaluable ally.”

Dormer is by far, the most famous face on board the Penny Dreadful: City of Angels cast right now — the rest of the crew includes Daniel Zovatto, Jonathan Nieves, Jessica Garza, and more. We don’t think we have to tell you what makes Dormer perfect for this role — she’s basically supernatural Moriarty here! Think about it — she wears many faces, can be good or evil depending on the context, and is highly manipulative and capable of causing extreme chaos. She’s a multi-layered character who will likely be all sorts of awesome.

Dormer has a great relationship with Showtime dating back to The Tudors (which is a brilliant show if you haven’t seen it) and she also probably saw all of the critical acclaim that Eva Green received for the original show and was like “I want a piece of that.” (Despite all of the love Green did get for her time on Penny Dreadful, it still feels like she’s underrated.)

Here’s the bad news

There’s still no confirmed premiere date for Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. Showtime wants you to have it ASAP, but they’re not giving it up until they know that it’s ready to go. So take some deep breaths, rewatch the original show, watch Elementary while praying Dormer shows up, and brace yourself for something crazy, something dramatic, and of course, something wicked.

Excited that Natalie Dormer is on board Penny Dreadful: City of Angels?

Let us know your reaction to the casting, and the character, below!