WIRE Buzz: Kerry Bishe joins Penny Dreadful sequel, Snapchat announces several sci-fi series

More horror is about to come to L.A. — and we're not just talking monster traffic jams.

Showtime's upcoming Penny Dreadful: City of Angels has recruited another cast member, with former Halt and Catch Fire star Kerry Bishe signing onto the Penny Dreadful sequel series, per a report from Deadline. 

Bishe will play Sister Molly, a charismatic radio evangelist, beautiful singer, and gifted orator. Despite the demands of her personal life, she has a way of captivating her legion of devotees. She'll topline the series alongside Daniel Zovatto and Game of Thrones alum Natalie Dormer. 

The mind behind the original series, John Logan, will helm City of Angels, which is a sort of spiritual descendant of the Victorian-era horror/drama, now set in 1938 Los Angeles. After opening on a grisly murder, the series will dive into the rich, sordid history of Los Angeles, from the earliest freeways to the deep-rooted Mexican-American folklore.

Snapchat is tripling down on its original content. The social media platform announced it will launch 10 new episodic series at Snapchat’s Snap Partner Summit earlier today, according to Deadline. 

After pointing out that this is the year that more adults will spend time on their phones instead of their TVs, Snap senior director of content Sean Mills said that "realizing this potential is not as simple as repurposing old content for new screens. Mobile storytelling has to be different because the way we use our phones is so different."

Of the 10 new series, six will be scripted projects — which includes a handful of sci-fi and horror shows. There's Denton’s Death Date, a comedy where everyone knows the exact day they'll die, Stranded with Sam and Colby, which finds pair of influencers stuck in a haunted house, Commanders, where a powerful old computer is used to disrupt high school social cliques, and the zombie survival horror Dead of Night.

Along with the new additions to the lineup, the platform also renewed its existing series Endless Summer, Deep Creek, and The Dead Girls Detective Agency.

Finally, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver's development company, Point Grey Pictures, has signed a deal with Lionsgate to produce multi-platform content. Deadline has word that the deal came out of CinemaCon, which will have Point Grey developing material for Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, Lionsgate Television, as well as the Starz channel.

The two companies recently collaborated on the romantic comedy Long Shot, which stars Charlize Theron alongside Rogen. Their prior films include the meta-apocalyptic comedy This Is The End, along with hits like Neighbors, Blockers, 50/50, and the Oscar-nominated The Disaster Artist. 

In a joint statement, Rogen, Goldberg, and Weaver called Lionsgate "a leader in entertainment with few equals," adding that "we are thrilled to be partnering with them."