Penny Dreadful: City of Angels brings back Rory Kinnear in new role

For some reason, there isn’t a large enough chorus of people talking about how good Rory Kinnear is, but we are happy to start it, because he really is one of the best actors on the planet. Hopefully this is a good way in which to shine a light on him – Rory Kinnear is  beyond amazing. He’s a chameleon of a performer who never gets enough credit for the work he’s done.

What we’re happy about is that Penny Dreadful and the franchise at large continues to bring him into their loving arms. He was outstanding in the original incarnation as Frankenstein’s creature who broke our hearts in a way that we’ve never felt before, and that was one of our primary reasons for agony at the show’s frustratingly-abrupt ending of the show. That was Showtime and producers’ apparent way to represent “life comes at you fast” and we lost a show that we felt still had so much story left to tell.

Today, Showtime announced (via Deadline) that Kinnear is going to be coming back now for Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, the upcoming North American-based version of the project with a totally new mythology that will hopefully mix together that cauldron of smart characters and unique storytelling. The twist for Rory is that, this time around, he’s not playing the Creature. It appears as though creator/writer John Logan has some different ideas in the works.

Here’s Rory’s role: Dr. Peter Craft. He is a successful German pediatrician and then also the head of an organization known as the German-American Bund. What is its purpose? Basically, he’s an isolationist — he doesn’t want America to get involved in any of the conflicts happening overseas in Europe. Bold move — you don’t want to see bloodshed across America, but you gotta think that the longer war lasts, the more it’s going to impact you! It’s all a reflection of some of the wartime discussions that were happening in America through several decades of the 21st century.

In a statement, Logan had the following to say — and it was a more than pleasant reminder that he loves Rory just as much as he do:

“It’s no secret that Rory is one of my favorite actors on the planet, and working with him in the original series was inspiring … So much so that I wrote this part for him, and I’m thrilled he’ll be joining us in the City of Angels.”

The best thing about this role? He’s not the same Creature he once was. Rather than have him be within the world of monsters, having him be a human allows him to show off a totally different dimension … but we’re also not ruling out the chance that this guy has some monster-like qualities of his own (it is that type of show after all). Sometimes, the most dangerous men and women are the ones who don’t stand out from the crowd until you hear their voice. Their words can echo across generations and cause fissures that can never quite be repaired.

There is no premiere date as of yet for Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, but we’re putting it out into the universe that we’d like it later this year or early 2020, maybe as a compliment to Shameless on the schedule.

What do you think about this casting for Penny Dreadful: City of Angels? Be sure to share right now in the comments!