The Great Gatsby TV series in the works from Vikings creator Michael Hirst

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Another adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is on the way as THR has reported that Vikings creator Michael Hirst is developing a miniseries of the iconic story.

"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," Michael Hirst said in a statement. "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." The project has reportedly been in the works for a number of years and is described as a reiminaging as it will be exploring New York's Black community in the 1920s as well as the musical subculture. It will also be digging deeply "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." Hirst will write the script for the series and executive produce alongside Michael London, and the project also has Blake Hazard, great-granddaughter of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, onboard as a consulting producer. In a statement, Hazard said:

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.

The Great Gatsby doesn't have a home at the moment, but the producers plan on approaching premium cable and streaming services. This is far from the only project that Michael Hirst is developing at the moment, as he also has a sequel series to Vikings in the works for Netflix as well as a miniseries about the Great Plague of London in development for History.