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Douglas Adams’ ‘Dirk Gently’ Gets Interconnected With TV Again

Max Landis Me Him Her

He last appeared in a short-lived BBC Four series starring comic actor Stephen Mangan. Now Douglas Adams’ literary anti-hero Dirk Gently is to cross the pond for a second stab at small screen success courtesy of an adaptation by CHRONICLE writer Max Landis (pictured). Following the adventures of a detective who utilizes the principles of quantum mechanics in order to solve the unfathomable, the UK version featured original scripts by Howard Overman (Misfits). It is unclear whether the US effort will be a straight (in as much as Adams can be seen as straight) take on the books or if the concept is being fleshed out for potential pick-up. The novels were also realized on radio by another Dirk (as in Maggs), who cast Harry Enfield in the title role.

A clear fan, Landis has enthused about the prospect of bringing Gently to the grindstone of a bigger marketplace:

“Alongside the obvious yada yada I’m a lifelong fan, Long Dark Teatime Of The Soul (the second Dirk Gently novel after Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) is one of the best books ever… Douglas Adams is a visionary who forever changed the way science fiction is written and talked about and even thought about and even the way real actual science is thought about and without whom our culture would be noticeably different for the worse.”

IDW Entertainment and Ideate Media are co-financing the pilot with a view to attracting commitment for a full run. The eccentric plotting (a trademark for Adams but notoriously difficult to translate to a visual medium) didn’t thrive on British television, so it’ll be interesting to see how the square-eyed big cheeses of America will take to the concept and what will be lost on the journey. Landis, a rising star in his field, appears to be a safe pair of hands if his aborted pitch for a GHOSTBUSTERS 3 is anything to go by, so this could be an inspired combination along the lines of the HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY movie c/o Hammer & Tongs from nearly a decade ago. The question on many fans’ minds will be who will take the holistic shoes of the main character…? Bearing in mind Mangan’s much-publicized disappointment at his series’ cancellation via Twitter, should he be given another crack of the existential whip?  Your casting suggestions below please!

Source: Deadline

Steve is a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. His short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.

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