Netflix Turns Dorian Gray Into Revamped Series
Netflix is taking a famed Victorian-era literary piece and thrusting it into the modern era in a series about to undergo production. The Grays will serve as a modern reimagining of the Oscar Wilde classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, set in today’s world and developed by Netflix. No release date has been set and there’s a limited amount of information about the production, but it’s known that two of the project’s executive producers are siblings Katie Rose Rogers and Robbie Rogers.
Dorian Gray’s Netflix series will be a completely different take on the literary source material and any of its many adaptations. The Grays is said to take place “against the backdrop of the modern beauty industry,” and features its two main characters as siblings instead of best friends. The series is penned by Katie Rose Rogers, who served as writer for nearly 50 episodes of the popular series Supergirl from 2017 until 2021.
Rina Mimoun has been announced as a showrunner for the Dorian Gray Netflix series, while Lee Toland Krieger is slated to direct.
What the Dorian Gray series will bring to Netflix is uncertain at this point, though the title character has made notable appearances in at least one unrelated show on the streaming service.
The Picture of Dorian Gray was penned by the Irish author in 1890 and published as a novella in the American monthly publication Lippencott’s Monthly Magazine. A year later, Wilde added more material to the writing and subsequently published one of the most infamous gothic novels of all time. The work wasn’t without controversy at the time of its release, with at least one critic maintaining that the author should be charged with violating laws against public morality.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, the source material that’s inspiring the new Netflix series, follows artist Basil Hallward as he paints a striking and realistic portrait of his friend and object of his affection, Dorian. Dorian is quite taken by his likeness that Basil has brought to life on canvas and becomes obsessed with his youth and immortality. As the story progresses, so does the young man’s infatuation with trying to find a way to preserve his good looks.
The series is penned by Katie Rose Rogers, who served as writer for nearly 50 episodes of the popular series Supergirl from 2017 until 2021.
To do so, Dorian Gray makes a pact with the Devil. But though exchanging his soul keeps his youthful looks, Basil’s portrait of Dorian ages as time goes by. The hedonistic lifestyle that Dorian enshrouds himself in and the various sins he commits are also impacting his likeness on the canvas.
What the Dorian Gray series will bring to Netflix is uncertain at this point, though the title character has made notable appearances in at least one unrelated show on the streaming service. Fans of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will recall the character as the vain proprietor of Dorian’s Gray Room, the go-to spot for the Academy’s snooty warlocks. Wilde’s mortality-obsessed figure has been the subject of numerous film and TV adaptations over the years, too.
Beginning in the silent film era, Dorian Gray’s persona was cinematic gold. The first known feature was Dorian Gray’s Portrait (1910), which was followed by six more films before the first talkie based on the novel was introduced in 1945. Television shows and made-for-TV movies followed that either used Dorian Gray outright, or a person based on him, as seen in a 1992 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Netflix will continue the tradition with the new series.
The Grays will serve as a modern reimagining of the Oscar Wilde classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, set in today’s world and developed by Netflix.
Source: Deadline
