Author William Joyce is set to direct an animated version of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel “The Great Gatsby.” Brian Selznick, who wrote and adapted 2017’s “Wonderstruck,” will work on the screenplay.

Michael Siegel and DNEG Senior VP Creative Production David Prescott join Joyce as producers on the animated feature film. DNEG Feature Animation will provide animation services.

This marks the first time the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald will be turned into an animated feature. Its most recent adaptation was for Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan.

Joyce said, “Gatsby continues to cast a powerful spell over readers unlike any other book in American letters. Much of the power of Gatsby comes from the enchantment of Fitzgerald’s prose. He created a vivid dreamscape that, to some degree, has eluded filmmakers since the silent era. The previous film versions were constrained by live-action, but innovative animation could finally realize the elusive quality of the novel.”

Prescott added, “We are in the perfect time for an animated Gatsby. Viewers of all ages are embracing animation as another way to experience different stories. Bill and I have been floating a variety of ideas around over the last few years, discussing ideal stories to bring to the screen, and I do feel that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is one such story. The style of animation and imagery we are creating for this project are so beautifully married together.”

DNEG Feature Animation has been working with William Joyce, the children’s’ author, producer and director, on an original animated short titled “Mr. Spam Gets a New Hat.”

The team, headed by DNEG’s Taylor Moll as Visual Effects Supervisor, has been developing the animated project within Unreal Engine, pushing the boundaries of what real-time game engine technology can bring to production feature animation. Moll said, “We are incredibly excited about the new methodologies we are employing on this short film with Bill and cannot wait to bring this same workflow to ‘The Great Gatsby.’”

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