Late British author Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series of novels (four in total, plus a novella), which center on the inhabitants of Castle Gormenghast, a sprawling, decaying, gothic-like structure, are soon headed to the small screen, as Deadline reports today that Neil Gaiman and Akiva Goldsman are adapting the fantasy series.
FremantleMedia North America has optioned all five stories in the series.
Primary characters in the books include Titus, the heir to the throne of the House of Groan, scheming kitchen boy Steerpike and twin sisters Cora and Clarice.
“There is nothing in literature like Mervyn Peake’s remarkable Gormenghast novels,” said Gaiman. “They were crafted by a master, who was also an artist, and they take us to an ancient castle as big as a city, with heroes and villains and people larger than life that are impossible to forget. There is a reason why there were two trilogies that lovers of the fantasy genre embraced in the Sixties: Lord of the Rings, and the Gormenghast books. It’s an honor to have been given the opportunity to help shepherd Peake’s brilliant and singular vision to the screen.”
Gaiman and Goldsman are set to executive produce, alongside Barry Spikings and David Stern.
The BBC previously adapted the first two books for television, back in 2000.