Juan Antonio Bayona to direct Showtime's 'Penny Dreadful'

Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona is to helm the first two installments in the eight-episode drama series "Penny Dreadful," Showtime announced. Bayona's screen credits include "The Impossible" and "The Orphanage." "Penny Dreadful" was created, written and executive produced by John Logan, who wrote the screenplay for "Skyfall" and received Academy Award nominations for writing "Hugo" and "The Aviator." He shared a nomination with David Franzoni and William Nicholson for the screenplay for "Gladiator." He won a Tony for best play for "Red" in 2010. Showtime described its latest offering as "a psychosexual horror series," featuring some of Victorian literature's most iconic figures, such as Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, Dracula and Dorian Gray. The show is to begin production in London this fall.