ABC's 'Gothica' Casts a Frankenstein and Dorian Gray

It is the season of the supernatural this pilot season, apparently. ABC has announced that they have finally cast some leads for their upcoming pilot episode of “Gothica”.

They announced that Australian actor Chris Egan will be playing Dorian Gray, while British actor Tom Ellis is set to play Victor Frankenstein.

“Gothica”, described as a gothic soap opera, weaves together a mythology, set in the modern day, that borrows from such gothic classics as “Dracula”, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, “Frankenstein”, and “The Picture of Dorian Gray”.

In the story, written by Matt Lopez, Victor Frankenstein runs a hospital, that doubles as a biotech research facility, and believes that he may have found a way to bring his recently deceased daughter back from the dead. Victor was once romantically involved with the show’s lead (and as of yet uncast) character, Grace Van Helsing. Dorian Gray, meanwhile, is a wealthy playboy who invests $20 million in Grace’s newspaper.

If the name of Tom Ellis rings a bell, it may be because he was part of fan speculation surrounding “Downton Abbey”, allegedly being cast as Mary’s new love interest. However, the producers have confirmed it’s not the case.

Chris Egan, on the other hand, has been having a spell of bad luck with his pilots being picked up. Maybe the third time is the charm, as this marks his third ABC pilot in the last three years, the first being “Poe” in 2011, and then “Beauty and the Beast” in 2012.

Do you think “Gothica”, a gothic soap opera, has what it takes to make it to air?