Showtime is bringing literature's classic monsters together for "Penny Dreadful," a new psychosexual horror series. The eight-episode series will be centered around Dr. Frankenstein and his creature, characters from "Dracula" and Dorian Gray. The show will weave together the classic stories and explore how the characters deal with alienation.
Reeve Carney, star of Broadway's "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," has been cast in the new dark drama, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Carney has been cast as Dorian Gray, the central character from Oscar Wilde's "A Picture of Dorian Gray." Gray is a young man who sells his soul to be eternally youthful and handsome, which prompts his descent into dissipation and debauchery. His face remains unwrinkled as his vices are revealed on his portrait, which ages with each sin Dorian commits. The classic novel explores themes such as morality, hedonism, aestheticism and duality. "Penny's" Dorian is described as confident and charismatic but isolated.
"Penny Dreadful" was created by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan ("Skyfall"), who will executive produce and write with Academy Award winner Sam Mendes and Neal Street's Pippa Harris ("Revolutionary Road"). Juan Antonio Bayona ("The Impossible") will direct the first two episodes.
Carney's Dorian joins a cast that includes Timothy Dalton as Sir Malcolm, a rugged African explorer on a personal journey; Josh Hartnett as Ethan and Eva Green as Vanessa, the story's one female character.
Carney was recently selected to play Jeff Buckley in the musical biopic "Mystery White Boy," and won a Young Artist Award for his role in the film "Snow Falling on Cedars." Carney also starred in Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" video, which won for best female video at MTV's Video Music Awards. Carney attended the awards with Swift.
Carney is repped by Hansen Jacobson and Paradigm.
"Penny Dreadful" will begin production in London in October. The series will debut on Showtime in spring 2014.
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