Gulliver's Travels TV Show In Development To Update Famous Novel 15 Years After Failed Movie Attempt With 20% RT Score

A Gulliver's Travels TV show is now in development, set to update the famous novel 15 years after a failed movie attempt with a 20% Rotten Tomatoes score. Originally written by Jonathan Swift in 1726, the story follows Lemuel Gulliver as he travels to various lands, most famously islands where everyone is small, and another where everyone is giant. The book has been adapted several times, with the latest attempt being in 2010. The film is not considered one of Jack Black's best roles, reflected by its poor critical reception.

Now, Varietyreports that Gulliver's Travels is being remade into a TV series, updating the famous novel with a new story. Titled The Gullivers, this six-episode series takes place in modern times, following the titular character's wife and children going on "a lifesaving mission." The series has already been written by Tom Bidwell (Watership Down; The Velveteen Rabbit) and is produced by Casey Herbert and Xavier Marchand of Moonriver TV and Leo Becker of Federation Studios. Bidwell made a statement about what to expect from this new rendition of the story:

Few works of fiction have impacted storytelling and culture like Swift’s masterpiece. 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 TV's Marchand also chimed in, hyping up the new story as an "evergreen crowd-pleaser" that offers a new way to experience the original story. Federation Studios' Becker is also excited for how the series will play out, hoping to engage younger audiences with a new rendition of the series. Check out what Marchand and Becker had to say below:

Marchand: 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.
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.

What The Upcoming Gulliver's Travels TV Show Means For The Classic Story

It's Going To Be Taking An Original, Modernized Approach

Emily Blunt sat on a throne in Gulliver's Travels

This new rendition of Gulliver's Travels seemingly offers a modernized approach, as it shifts focus away from the original main character in favor of his family. It's not too surprising given the involvement of Moonriver TV, whose work on Prime Video's Nautilusoffered a unique, adventurous take on Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. While plot details remain under wraps, this latest adaptation seems to have plenty of talent behind it thanks to its award-winning writer.

Updating Swift's original story to focus on the Gulliver family as a whole means there might be some new interactions between them and the people in the locations from the original novel. It's also unclear where the original title character is, though his wife and children's rescue mission implies he's the one who needs saving. Given some of the worst book to screen adaptations have involved major changes to the source material - including the latest Gulliver's Travels itself - the TV series will need to maintain the spirit of the original if it's to fare well critically and commercially.

The newest Gulliver's Travels adaptation is a 2021 Ukrainian animated movie, titled Gulliver Returns.

Our Take On The Gullivers TV Series Announcement

It Still Needs To Honor The Source Material

Jack Black looking down at small people in Gulliver's Travels

Although The Gullivers is going to be telling a different story from Swift's classic novel, it still needs to honor the source material as it develops a new take on the story. However, despite the major alterations involved, the TV show can still use its new tale to craft memorable moments spinning off the ideas presented in the original. With the new series indicative of an unique direction, the series will need to tread carefully to honor what it's adapting.

Source: Variety