THE GREAT GATSBY Is Being Adapted Into a TV Series

F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic novel The Great Gatsby is set to be adapted as a TV series by A+E Studios and ITV Studios America. The project will be developed by writer Michael Hirst (Elizabeth, The Tudors, Vikings), and it’s said that this will be a big-budget series.

There’s no network involved yet, but the producers of the show plan on shopping it around to premium cable networks. They envision this to be a closed-ended miniseries.

Hirst will also serve as an executive producer alongside Groundswell Productions' Michael London (Sideways, Milk). Fitzgerald's estate is also involved as Blake Hazard, a great-granddaughter of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and a trustee of the estate, will serve as a consulting producer.

Hirst has been developing this project for at least three years already, and he said in a statement:

"I seem to have lived with Gatsby most of my life, reading it first as a schoolboy, later teaching it at Oxford in the 1970s then re-reading it periodically ever since. As the critic Lionel Trilling once wrote: 'The Great Gatsby is still as fresh as when it first appeared, it has even gained in weight and relevance.' Today, as America seeks to reinvent itself once again, is the perfect moment to look with new eyes at this timeless story, to explore its famous and iconic characters through the modern lens of gender, race and sexual orientation. Fitzgerald's profoundly romantic vision does not prevent him examining and exposing the darker underbelly of the American experience, which is why the story speaks to both tragedy and hope, and why it continues to resonate today."

Hirst's Gatsby will “explore New York's Black community in the 1920s as well as the musical subculture.” The series will “dig deeper into the hidden lives of its characters through the modern lens of a fractured American dream while also capturing the full majesty of Fitzgerald's timeless vision.”

Hazard said in a statement:

"I have long dreamt of a more diverse, inclusive version of Gatsby that better reflects the America we live in, one that might allow us all to see ourselves in Scott's wildly romantic text. Michael brings a deep reverence for Scott's work to the project, but also a fearlessness about bringing such an iconic story to life in an accessible and fresh way. I'm delighted to be a part of the project."

A+E Studios president Barry Jossen added:

"There are few stories in the pantheon of American literature that transcend time like The Great Gatsby. Along 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 Hazard. As evidenced by his series bible, Michael stays true to Fitzgerald’s novel while building on that legacy with a modern vision that will be more reflective of America both then and now, including an enhanced exploration of the female characters. We are currently searching for a director and are excited to bring this out to the market."

Would you be interested in watching a series version of The Great Gatsby like the one being produced?