Tom Ellis 'Downton Abbey' Season 4 rumors squashed by 'Gothica' casting

The rumors that British actor Tom Ellis may be joining "Downton Abbey" as a love interest for newly widowed Lady Mary can officially be put to rest now that Ellis has landed a role in the ABC horror pilot "Gothica."

Ellis -- whose credits include "The Fades" and "Merlin" -- will play Victor Frankenstein in the contemporary series that weaves together the legends of horror icons Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray.

Additionally, Chris Egan ("Letters to Juliet") has been cast as Dorian Gray.

Egan and Ellis join the previously cast Raza Jaffrey ("Smash") who will play a police detective named Harker (in an obvious nod to Dracula's nemesis Jonathan Harker).

"Gothica" sounds a bit like the horror answer to ABC's fairy tale hit "Once Upon a Time," but also may be uncomfortably similar to Showtime's upcoming period series "Penny Dreadful." Only time will tell...