Neil Gaiman & Akiva Goldsman developing Gormenghast series

Comic book icon Neil Gaiman and moviemaker Akiva Goldsman are teaming up to bring classic novel series Gormenghast to TV.
Bosses at FreemantleMedia North America have secured the rights to all five of British author Mervyn Peake’s books, and Gaiman and the A Beautiful Mind filmmaker are developing the project, according to Deadline.com.
BBC bosses previously adapted the first two books, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, as a four-part series in 2000. It starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Christopher Lee.
The books follow the inhabitants of gothic Castle Gormenghast.
Gaiman, who is enjoying TV success as a producer of the series American Gods, tells Deadline, “There is nothing in literature like Mervyn Peake’s remarkable Gormenghast novels. 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 60s – Lord of the Rings, and the Gormenghast books. It’s an honour to have been given the opportunity to help shepherd Peake’s brilliant and singular vision to the screen.”
Gaiman signed an exclusive multi-year deal with FreemantleMedia last year (17).
He and Goldsman will share a producer credit alongside Oscar winner Barry Spikings and David Stern.
Author Peake’s son, Fabian, has given the new Gormenghast project the thumbs up, stating: “We are tremendously excited by the prospect of seeing the Gormenghast books realised for television. This venture presents a unique opportunity to explore the imagination of a multi-faceted artist.”