By On April 13th, 2011, Neil Gaiman graced the University of Chicago with his presence for my great city’s public library initiative, One Book One Chicago. The basic premise for 1B1C, as it’s colloquially known as, is to inspire the city to read a selected novel every quarter. This spring’s selection was Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere.
To commemorate the selection, Gaiman took part in two reading events, the last event being the one I attended. Following a reading of some of his favorite passages from Neverwhere, the floor was opened for fan questions. Amidst the in flux of questions ranging Gaiman’s illustrious career (including, but not limited to, MirrorMask, American Gods, Sandman, Doctor Who, and The Graveyard Book), I was lucky to throw in a Flixist-related question.
The most promising quote was in regards to the possibility of a Neverwhere film: “There’s a lot of chance of a Neverwhere movie getting made. […] One day, I hope. There’s a lot of talk about it.” Below the cut, you’ll see my thoughts on a potential Neverwhere adaptation.
Neil Gaiman fans will remember the Neverwhere BBC series from the mid-90s and the Vertigo comic book adaptation, so it’s definitely been adapted into a visual form already (not saying Gaiman’s imagery wasn’t already so well-defined). For those who are unfamiliar with Neverwhere, it follows a Londoner, Richard Mayhew, as he stumbles upon London Below, a magical realm that runs parallel to the “real” London.
With fantasy stories, especially with the kind of following Gaiman has, the perfect combination of lead actor, director, and writer must be found. Granted, you can say that about any film, but it seems like fantasy fans are so much harder to appease.
Do any Neil Gaiman fans out there have any suggestions for potential directors/actors for a Neverwhere film?