AMAZON STUDIOS SIGNS OVERALL DEAL WITH VISIONARY WRITER AND CREATOR NEIL GAIMAN
Creator and Executive Producer of the highly anticipated Amazon Original series Good Omens, Gaiman will exclusively develop television series for Amazon Studios to premiere globally on Amazon Prime Video
SANTA MONICA, Calif., October 2, 2018 - Amazon Studios today announced it has signed an overall television deal with visionary and award-winning writer Neil Gaiman. The creator of the highly anticipated Amazon Original series Good Omens and the Hugo Award-winning book American Gods, Gaiman will exclusively work with Amazon Studios on the creation of television series which will premiere globally on Amazon Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories.
"Neil Gaiman is a phenomenally talented writer, who creates worlds that are compelling, multi-dimensional and narratively unique," said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. "His fans are ardent, vocal and passionate and we are fortunate to bring his gifted vision to the Prime Video audience."
"What decided me was how much I enjoyed working with the Amazon team on Good Omens," said Gaiman. "They are smart, gloriously enthusiastic people, who weren't afraid of Good Omens being different but who were as determined as I was to make something as unique and exciting as it is. I'm thrilled to know that I'll have a home at Amazon in the future where I can make television that nobody's seen before, that's quite unlike Good Omens, but just as unusual and just as much fun."
Credited with being one of the creators of modern comics, Gaiman is a prolific writer whose work - including prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics and drama - crosses genres and reaches audiences of all ages.
He started his career in England as a journalist and wrote biographies early on before creating his graphic novel Violent Cases, the first of many collaborations with artist Dave McKean, which led to Black Orchid, published by DC Comics. The groundbreaking Sandman followed, collecting numerous awards including the World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story, the first comic to ever receive a literary award. Gaiman's return to Sandman for its 25thAnniversary, with Sandman: Overture, was a New York Times #1 Bestseller and the winner of the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Novel.
Gaiman's Coraline won multiple awards including the British Science Fiction Award, was adapted as a musical by Stephin Merritt and was the basis for the animated feature film, directed by Henry Selick which secured a BAFTA for Best Animated Film and was nominated for an Oscar in the same category. His novel The Graveyard Book, which won both the UK's Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal, the highest honor given in US children's literature, is currently being adapted for film.
Gaiman wrote the screenplay for the original BBC TV series of Neverwhere; Dave McKean's first feature film, Mirrormask, for the Jim Henson Company; and co-wrote the script to Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf. He produced Stardust, Matthew Vaughn's film based on his book. He has written and directed two films: A Short Film About John Bolton and Sky Television's Statuesque. His novel American Gods, was adapted for Starz and his character from The Sandman was adapted for FOX's Lucifer.
He is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys, The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Winner of the UK National Book Awards Book of the Year 2013), and Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), as well as the short story collections Smoke and Mirrors, Fragile Things and Trigger Warning. His first collection of short fiction, Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions, was nominated for the UK's MacMillan Silver Pen Awards as the best short story collection of the year. His most recent book, Norse Mythology, has become an international bestseller and a publishing phenomenon.
His collections and picture books for young readers include: M is for Magic; the Interworld trilogy, co-authored with Michael Reaves; The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish; The Wolves in the Walls - which was made into an Opera by the Scottish National Theatre; the Greenaway-shortlisted Crazy Hair, illustrated by Dave McKean; The Dangerous Alphabet, illustrated by Gris Grimly; Blueberry Girl; and Instructions, illustrated by Charles Vess, and the Greenaway-winning Bestseller The Sleeper and the Spindle, illustrated by Chris Riddell.
About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios creates original television series which premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video and is available globally in over 200 countries and territories. This year, Prime Video will premiere a number of original series, including the recently launched Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan starring John Krasinski, Homecoming from creator Sam Esmail and stars Julia Roberts and Bobby Cannavale, the third season of The Man in the High Castle and the upcoming second season of Emmy Award-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
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Gaiman is represented by Tony Etz and Brian Siberell at CAA; literary agent and manager, Merrilee Heifetz at Writers House ; UK film/tv rep, Jenne Casarotto at Casarotto Ramsay and Ziffren Brittenham LLP attorneys Jamie Afifi and Melanie Cook. Cat Mihos is Director of Development for Gaiman's production company, The Blank Corporation.
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