Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ Getting Contemporary TV Remake From Moonriver, Federation Studios
Jonathan Swift’s classic satirical adventure ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is getting a contemporary reimagining for the small screen.
Emmy and BAFTA-winning writer Tom Bidwell (“Watership Down”) has created and written a new six-part TV series — entitled “The Gullivers” — and is working alongside producers Xavier Marchand and Casey Herbert for Moonriver TV and Leo Becker for Federation Studios.
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The fantasy adventure series is in development with a major European broadcaster, according to the producers, and follows on the heels of Moonriver’s recent series “Nautilus,” inspired by Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea,” currently on Amazon Prime in the U.K., Stan in Australia and France 2 and awaiting rollout by AMC in the U.S. Foundation is no stranger to Verne’s universe either, having previously adapted “Around the World in 80 Days” for Masterpiece PBS, BBC and the European Alliance.
Bidwell’s take on the story is described as being told “through the eyes of Gulliver’s 21st century wife and children as they embark together on a lifesaving mission.”
“Few works of fiction have impacted storytelling and culture like Swift’s masterpiece,” said Bidwell. “It is a work of extraordinary imagination that I have wanted to adapt for many years but was, if I’m being candid, always a little afraid to do so. The team at Moonriver and Federation have a breadth of experience adapting novels of this ambition and scale and when they approached me with the idea of a modern adaptation about Lemuel’s family I was thrilled to help them bring it to screen.”
Moonriver founder Marchand added: ‘Tom Bidwell’s ‘The Gullivers’ promises to be an eye-popping, world-building, action-packed adventure which will delight a multi-generational audience. Swift’s timeless tale, with its iconic imagery, is an evergreen crowd-pleaser, and this fresh, contemporary take will reintroduce it to audiences in a way that feels more relevant than ever.”
Added Federation’s Becker: “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be partnering with Moonriver to bring Tom’s exciting new vision to the screen. It’s a timeless classic we’ve been dying to revisit for some time now, and with Tom’s incomparable voice, plus our combined four-quadrant know-how, we can finally allow new generations to rediscover Swift’s ever so relevant tale.”
“The Gullivers” is a co-production between Moonriver TV (“Nautilus”, “A Gentleman in Moscow,” “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris”) and Federation Studios (“The Agency,” “The Bureau” and “Around the World in Eighty Days”) with Bidwell creating and writing the series.
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