Ben Barnes is Dorian Gray

Who isn’t fascinated by the idea of immortality? Even if it turns out to be more of a curse than a gift, such is the case with Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray? The latest take on Wilde’s immortal character has Ben Barnes, currently waging war in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” as the titular Prince Caspian, will be taking the lead role in the big screen version of “The Picture of Dorian Gray”.

The Hollywood Reporter has more:

Producer Barnaby Thompson and director Oliver Parker, who previously teamed to make “An Ideal Husband” and “The Importance of Being Earnest” and most recently co-directed “St. Trinian’s” will make “Dorian Gray” at the end of July this year.

Thompson will produce through his Fragile Films label, now owned by Ealing Studios, with Parker helming. Producer and director Thompson said Parker is planning to make a visceral, dark horror story and says the themes of stardom are as relevant as ever.

Here’s a quick rundown of the original novel by Wikipedia:

The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is greatly impressed by Dorian’s physical beauty and becomes strongly infatuated with him, believing that his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Talking in Basil’s garden, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil’s, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry’s world view. Espousing a new kind of hedonism, Lord Henry suggests that the only thing worth pursuing in life is beauty, and the fulfilment of the senses. Realising that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian cries out, wishing that the portrait Basil has painted of him would age rather than himself. Dorian’s wish is fulfilled, subsequently plunging him into a series of debauched acts. The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin being displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging.

Original novel cover: