The 34-year-old musician is set to direct the big-screen version of Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel of the same name with a female in the lead role.
- Aug 17, 2017
AceShowbiz - Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent is bringing "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to the big screen. According to a new report from Variety, the 34-year-old musician has signed on to direct the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel of the same name for Lionsgate.
While the novel tells the story of a hedonistic young man who stays young while his portrait ages, this big-screen version will cast a woman as the title character, the site reports. St. Vincent will direct from a script written by David Birke, who most recently wrote Paul Verhoeven's "Elle".
St. Vincent is best known for her Grammy Award-winning career as a singer-songwriter. She made her directorial debut with "The Birthday Party", a short film which was included as part of the female-driven "XX" horror anthology. She also co-wrote and scored the short film.
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" was the only novel Wilde ever published. The plot reads, "As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world."
The novel has been adapted a number of times, including Albert Lawin's 1945 film adaptation starring Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders and Angela Lansbury. The made-for-TV film in 1961 starred Jeremy Brett as the title character, with Dennis Price, John Bailey and Jill Ireland co-starring.
The 1973 made-for-TV film had Shane Briant taking on the titular role, co-starring Charles Aidman, Nigel Davenport and Vanessa Howard. In the 1976 film adaptation, Peter Firth portrayed Dorian Gray, while Jeremy Brett starred as Basil Hallward, John Gielgud played Henry Wotton, and Judi Bowker took the role of Sibyl Vane.
In 2004, another film adaptation was released, starring Josh Duhamel, Ranier Judd, Brandon Waugh and Darby Stanchfiel. English filmmaker Oliver Parker-directed film "Dorian Gray" starring Ben Barnes was released in 2009. Additionally, the character appeared on recent TV series "Penny Dreadful".
