Greek Gods Come to Television
News has come out that Ben Stiller has optioned a new book for development as a television comedy series. The book in question? “Gods Behaving Badly” by Marie Phillips. The book checks in with the Greek pantheon, now sharing a flat in London, to find them living a very modern (and mundane) existence.
“Come down in the world since their days on Mount Olympus, the gods are now crammed together in a run-down town house where they continue their eternal squabbles and plotting. Phillips has given each of the gods appropriately modern – and fairly unimaginative – occupations: Aphrodite, goddess of love, works as a phone sex operator; Dionysus, god of wine, runs a nightclub; Artemis, goddess of the hunt, walks dogs for a living.”
From what I can glean, it seems very much like Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods”, with an emphasis placed on the story of Orpheus (instead of Balder, as in Gaimain’s novel). According to this news story, Stiller’s Red Hour Films are currently searching for a writer to translate the work to the small screen. Is the world ready for a comedy television series starring Zeus, Dionysus, Apollo, and Artemis?
As for the book itself, it is being released to stores on December 10th (though you can order it now from Amazon), and I look forward to giving it a read-through. The reviews have been middling, but I’m a sucker for stories infused with classical myths.
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