Right on the heels of starring in the No. 1 movie at the box office, Ben Barnes has landed another gig — and it’s a doozy. The adorable Prince Caspian will play the title character in a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Oliver Parker is “planning to make a visceral, dark horror story and says the themes of stardom are as relevant as ever.”

That was my immediate thought as well, that the book’s themes of vanity and the desire for everlasting youth and beauty seem to be incredibly relevant to today’s world (especially in American society, though Dorian Gray does not take place in America). I had to read this novel in college and I’m so glad I did. It’s a riveting — and often scary — read. If you haven’t read it, this is the plot description: “Dorian Gray is a young man of impossible physical beauty whose portrait — painted by the artist Basil Hallward — becomes connected on an occult level with the workings of his soul. Drawn into a corrupt and sensual life by the dissolute Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian remains young and beautiful, while the painting ages in his stead, ultimately becoming a monstrosity.”

Have you read this work by Oscar Wilde? What do you think of this movie news?

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