Michael Hirst, ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘The Tudors’, are at the forefront of the small budget budget series for A + E Studios and ITV, with the Fitzgerald estate also involved.
The Great Gatsby comes to television.
A + E Studios and ITV Studios America are teaming up with writer Michael Hirst for a major budget TV series based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel. A network is not yet involved as co-producers plan to buy the range to premium cable and power outlets.
Hirst (considered a closed miniseries,Elizabeth, The Tudors, Vikings) will write the screenplay and co-produce with Michael London of Groundswell Productions (Sideways, Milk). Fitzgerald’s estate is also involved as Blake Hazard, a great-granddaughter of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and a curator of the estate, will serve as advisory producer.
Sources say that A + E Studios has had the rights to the iconic novel for decades, dating from the 2000 TV movie starring Paul Rudd as Nick Carraway, Toby Stephens as Jay Gatsby and Mira Sorvino as Daisy. The television was a co-production with the BBC and aired on A&E. The Hirst-led processing has been going on for at least three years, and dates from the time when the Vikings creator had an overall resemblance to Barry Jossen’s A + E Studios. The update was quietly developed at Apple last year before the technology giant changed course.
‘It looks like I lived in Gatsby most of my life, first reading it as a schoolboy, later learning in Oxford in the 1970s and then re-reading it from time to time, “Hirst said. As the critic Lionel Trilling once wrote: ‘The Great Gatsby is still just as fresh as when it first appeared, it has even increased in weight and relevance. ‘As America wants to reinvent itself, this is the perfect moment to look at this timeless story with new eyes, to explore its famous and iconic characters through the modern lens of gender, race and sexual orientation. Fitzgerald’s deeply romantic vision does not prevent him from examining and exposing the darker underbelly of the American experience, and therefore the story speaks of both tragedy and hope, and it continues to resonate today. ‘
Hirst s’n Gatsby will explore the Black community of New York in the 1920s as well as the musical subculture. William B. Ransford, Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies, Columbia University, Farah Jasmine Griffin, will also serve as a consultant for the series. She will work directly with Hazard and Hirst on the drama. The series is described as a remake and deeper into the hidden lives of its characters through the modern lens of a broken American dream, while also capturing the full majesty of Fitzgerald’s timeless vision.
‘I have long dreamed of a more diverse, inclusive version of Gatsby it better reflects the America in which we live, one that we will possibly allow everyone to see ourselves in Scott’s wildly romantic text, “Hazard said. Michael brings a deep respect for Scott’s work to the project, but also a fearlessness to bring such an iconic story to life in an accessible and fresh way. I am delighted to be part of the project. ‘
Hirst, in turn, has a long-standing relationship with A + E. He created Vikings, which served as History’s first text series. He is also working on limited series The New Year for History. Hirst s’n Vikings prosecute, Valhalla, moved from A + E / A and E to Netflix as an original series from MGM Television.
A + E Studios, under President Jossen, has shifted its focus from exclusive content provider to brother and sister networks such as being a seller to other platforms with series, including ABC’s David E. Kelley drama. Great sky. A + E will be the main studio on Gatsby.
“There are few stories in the pantheon of American literature that transcend time such as The Great Gatsby“Jossen said.” Together with our partners at ITV Studios America and Groundswell Productions, A + E Studios is privileged to bring this powerful, complex work to life under the watchful eye of the incomparable Michael Hirst and the blessing of Fitzgerald family member Blake. Danger. As is evident from his series bible, Michael remains true to Fitzgerald’s novel as he builds on the legacy with a modern vision that will then and now be more reflected on America, including an improved exploration of the female characters. We are currently looking for a director and are excited to bring it to market. ‘
Gatsby has been adapted for the big screen several times, with recordings in 1926 (directed by Warner Baxter), 1949 (starring Alan Ladd), 1974 (starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow) and in 2013 (starring Leonardo DiCaprio).
Hirst is awarded by WME, United Agents and Nelson Davis.