‘Spider-Man’s’ Reeve Carney Nabs Key Role in Showtime’s ‘Penny Dreadful’ (Exclusive)

Reeve Carney is going from Broadway to Showtime.

The actor, who starred as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, has nabbed a key role in the cable network’s drama series Penny Dreadful, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The eight-episode drama revolves around some of literature’s famed monsters — including Dr. Frankenstein and his creature, Dorian Gray and figures from the Dracula — weaving together classic horror origin stories as the characters grapple with their monstrous alienation.

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Carney will play the series regular role of Dorian Grey in a reprisal of Oscar Wilde‘s supernaturally attractive and decadent young hero. Penny‘s Dorian is further described as confident and mesmerizing, yet somewhat isolated.

Penny Dreadful was created by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan (Skyfall), who will write and executive produce alongside Academy Award winner Sam Mendes and Neal Street’s Pippa Harris (Revolutionary Road). Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage, The Impossible) directs the first two episodes.

Carney joins a cast that includes Timothy Dalton as Sir Malcolm, a tough African explorer on a deeply personal quest; Josh Hartnett as Ethan and Eva Green as Vanessa, the lone female in the story.

The casting comes after Carney was hand-picked by director Julie Taymor for Spider-Man and after he was selected to play Jeff Buckley in the upcoming musical biopic Mystery White Boy. Carney also picked up a Young Artist Award for his role in the film Snow Falling on Cedars. Carney most recently starred in Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” video, which Sunday picked up the award for best female video at MTV’s Video Music Awards. Carney attended the awards show with Swift.

Carney is repped by Paradigm and Hansen Jacobson.

The psychosexual horror series will begin production in October in London. The series will debut in spring 2014.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit