F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classicThe Great Gatsbyis being brought to life again, in the form of a TV series. However, this adaptation will be slightly different from the ones before. The main focus will be on New York’s Black community in the 1920s, along with the music culture at the time.
WithVikingsCreator Michael Hirst taking the helm, A+E Studios and ITV Studios America will make it all happen.The Great Gatsbyminiseries will also have the blessings of the Fitzgerald estate, with Blake Hazard, the great-granddaughter of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, working alongside the studio as consulting producer.
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The Great Gatsbyseries doesn’t just aim to dive deeper into the personality of the characters, it will also reflect on inclusivity to reflect the modern American population. Hazard hopes to achieve a series that “allows us all to see ourselves in Scott’s wildly romantic text”, a report by The Hollywood Reporter confirms. Another expert to join the project is Farah Jasmine Griffin, William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies at Columbia University. Working as a consultant, Griffin will help Hirst and Hazard focus on the American dream thatThe Great Gatsbyportrays while bringing in a modern perspective to highlight the issues around gender, race, and sexual orientation.
The Great Gatsby, originally published in 1925, was set during New York’s jazz age and narrates the story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his love for Daisy Buchanan. Upon its publication, the novel was not received well and deemed unsuccessful. Fitzgerald died in 1940 with that knowledge. However, the book is now considered a classic and is even referred to as the ‘Great American Novel’ by many.
Since its publication,The Great Gatsbyhashad four film adaptations, with one being released just a year after the novel was released. The 1926 version, with Warner Baxter portraying Gatsby, was a silent adaptation distributed by Paramount Pictures. However, almost a century later, the movie is officially considered lost, with just a trailer remaining to confirm its existence. The more popular adaptations included the 1974 version, starring Robert Redford as Gatsby, Mia Farrow as Buchanan, and Sam Waterston as Nick Carraway, the narrator. At the time of release, the movie was praised for maintaining the original script, but audiences were not pleased with its depiction of the Jazz Age.
The more recent version of the movie was released in 2013, withLeonardo DiCaprio taking the leadalong with Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan portraying the roles of Carraway and Buchanan respectively. Once again, the movie received mixed reviews from both critics and the audience, but it ended up landing second place in terms of the box office on its opening weekend. Also, the fashion in the movie was talked about for days and ended upsetting trends for partiesin the years to come.
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