INYIM Media National Treasure: Timeless Novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ To Metamorphosize Into First-Time Animated Feature Via DNEG Animation!
“F. Scott Fitzgerald’s jazz age classic The Great Gatsby is in development as an animated feature helmed by William Joyce and animated by the feature animation arm of VFX house DNEG (Tenet).
The adaptation of Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel will be written by Brian Selznick, who wrote and illustrated the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret on which Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film Hugo was based. Producer Michael Siegel and DNEG senior vp of creative production David Prescott join Joyce as producers.
“Gatsby continues to cast a powerful spell over readers unlike any other book in American letters,” said Joyce, who won an Academy Award for his 2011 short film The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and whose animated feature credits as a writer and exec producer based on his books include Epic, Rise of the Guardians and Meet the Robinsons. “Much of the power of Gatsby comes from the enchantment of Fitzgerald’s prose. He created a vivid dreamscape that, to some degree, has eluded filmmakers since the silent era. The previous film versions were constrained by live action, but innovative animation could finally realize the elusive quality of the novel.”
DNEG Feature Animation also is working with Joyce on an original animated short titled Mr. Spam Gets a New Hat, which is being created using virtual production techniques. DNEG reports that virtual production will also be incorporated into the making of The Great Gatsby.
Fitzgerald’s novel has been adapted several times for film and television, for the first time in 1926. Feature adaptations have included a 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, which won Oscars for its score and costume design; and Baz Luhrmann’s 2016 movie starring Leonardo DeCaprio and Carey Mulligan, which won Oscars for production design and costume design.” – Hollywoodreporter.com
