The Showtime/Sky Atlantic TV drama ‘Penny Dreadful’ was filmed entirely in Wicklow and Dublin. It completes its six-month shoot next week having secured Section 481 on more than €30 million spent on direct investment in the Irish economy on local jobs and services.
The series received finance from the Irish Film Board’s International Production Fund. The show will have provided employment opportunities for over 350 Irish cast and crew. Emmy award-winning Irish director Dearbhla Walsh (‘The Tudors’, ‘Little Dorrit’) directed two episodes of the series.
Starring Eva Green (‘Casino Royale’, ‘Cracks’) and John Harnett (‘Black Hawk Down’), ‘Penny Dreadful’ is a dark psychological thriller set in Victorian London, featuring iconic literary features such as Dr Frankenstein and Dracula’s Mina Harker.
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, met with John Logan, the multi-award winning creator of ‘Penny Dreadful’, and the show’s star Timothy Dalton (‘Licence to Kill’) on the set of ‘Penny Dreadful’ in Ardmore Studios.
Commenting on his experience of filming on location in Ireland, John Logan said, “Ireland has been a truly inspirational place to film Penny Dreadful. Not only does it have deeply talented crews, but the city’s unspoiled architecture perfectly captures London at the turn of the last century. Also the ghosts of Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde walk these streets, which is pretty inspirational for us too.”
Minister Deenihan said, “The Government is focused on job creation, and the film and television industry can deliver increased employment opportunities over the next number of years. Production activity has increased by 42% since 2011 as a result of real growth in the number of major international TV drama productions being produced in Ireland. ‘Penny Dreadful’, a project worth €33 million to the Irish economy, is an excellent example of this.
“By improving the incentives for producing film and television in Ireland this Government is aiming to grow the sector even more. Throughout 2014, I will continue to promote Ireland as an attractive location for film and television production. We want to see more films and TV series being made here - and more people working in film - in the period ahead.”
Key Irish creative roles on the series include cinematographers PJ Dillon and Owen McPolin, set decorator Philip Murphy, master painter Neville Gaynor, prop master David Flanagan, construction manager Nicky MacManus and locations managers Maria O’Connor and Colm Nolan.
‘Penny Dreadful’ is created, written and executive produced by Oscar nominee John Logan (‘Hugo’, ‘The Aviator’, ‘Gladiator’) and executive produced by Logan’s Desert Wolf Productions, along with Oscar winner Sam Mendes (‘American Beauty’, ‘Skyfall’) and Pippa Harris (‘Revolutionary Road’), both from Neal Street Productions. ‘Penny Dreadful’ is co-produced in Ireland by Octagon Films.
Find behind-the-scenes stills, videos and interviews from the “Penny Dreadful” set at Ardmore Studios on the series’ Production Blog.
The series will be broadcast in Ireland and the UK exclusively on Sky Atlantic this May and in the USA on SHOWTIME on May 11.
