News
‘Penny Dreadful’ Renewed For A Third Season
Gothic horror drama series Penny Dreadful continues to be a success for Showtime, so it comes as no surprise that the premium cable network announced today that it has been renewed for a third season comprised of nine episodes. Creator and showrunner John Logan (Hugo, Spectre) is already hard at work on the next phase of our monstrous heroes’ tale, with production slated to begin once again this fall in Dublin. The second season, which just aired its seventh episode this past weekend, is set to conclude on July 5th.
Courtesy of Variety…
“John Logan’s brilliant writing and this amazingly talented ensemble continue to draw a passionate, global fanbase into the meticulously crafted world of ‘Penny Dreadful,’” said Showtime Networks president David Nevins. “Together with our wonderful partners at Sky Atlantic, we’re excited to see what new haunts John and his team have in store for season three.”
The order for the third season is an episode shorter than the current run, but I wouldn’t worry. Many cable genre shows having been cutting back a bit lately, with Cinemax’s Banshee (not horror, but recommended nonetheless!) lopping off two from its usual amount next season and True Blood had shorter orders in later seasons as well. In many cases, it often leads to tighter storytelling and the budget not being spread out as thinly, which is rarely a bad thing.
What terrors will Season Three hold for Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton), Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), Caliban (Rory Kinnear), Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), and the rest? And will the lot I just mentioned even survive long enough to see the start of a third season? I guess we’ll know come July 5th…
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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