Jim Henson is considered the modern master of puppeteering. His colorful creations have graced screens worldwide, garnering numerous fans of all ages. Henson’s programs are the stuff of childhood memories and one author has bold plans of reviving one of these programs for television.
“The Storyteller”
Author Neil Gaiman has announced the revival of Henson’s The Storyteller, a tale which he plans to focus on its lore. “Part of what fascinates me about The Storyteller is the stuff that we don’t know. Who was the Storyteller, why was he telling these stories, was he a goblin, what kind of creature?” Gaiman said in a press release.
“A master plan is already in place”, said Gaiman. “We’re going to begin in a Northern kingdom where stories are forbidden and where the act of telling a story is liable and can get you imprisoned or executed. If you put a storyteller into that situation, things would need to start getting interactive,” he said.
Debuting in 1987, The Storyteller tells us of ancient European folklore with the use of muppets and actors as its cast members. The 13-episode series earned an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program. Jim Henson’s daughter, Lisa Henson, who is also the CEO of the Jim Henson Company, worked on the show, and to her, Gaiman is the perfect candidate. “Neil Gaiman is an expert in traditional folklore and mythology, in addition to himself being the modern ‘storyteller’ of our times. I feel like if Neil were an actor, he’d have to play (the Storyteller) because he embodies what the storyteller is, a skillful wordsmith who can entertain people with the power of the story itself, and not to mention he also memorizes it all in his head,” she said in the same press release.
The Next Chapter
Fremantle, the company working on Gaiman’s American Gods, was given the privilege of producing the remake of The Storyteller. This binge-worthy show will most likely land on a streaming service, according to Gaiman.