Gently Does It

Douglas Adams's 1987 sci-fi mystery novel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, and its sequel don't lend themselves to easy TV adaptations.

Told more or less out of order and from the points of view of various eccentric characters, the late author's work is, well, challenging.

But then Max Landis, creator–executive producer of the newest version — debuting October 22 on BBC America — made things even more difficult for himself.

"I adapted the style of the books without adapting a specific plot, and I did that, I think, because I'm insane," he says nonchalantly. Although, he adds, "the idea of doing a detective mystery where one of the prerequisites is that the mystery has to be as convoluted as possible was pretty exciting."

In the eight-episode first season, Landis's protagonist sets himself apart from Adams's creation: "The Dirk in the books is sort of implacable and, in a lot of ways, sort of disinterested. He's not a vague character — he's much more Sherlockian in that he's unflappable. But my Dirk is f—king flappable."

It was a "no-brainer" to cast Elijah Wood as Todd, Dirk's reluctant assistant, Landis reports. But the hunt for the quirky, fast-talking sleuth was arduous. Samuel Barnett (The History Boys) was selected, Landis says, because he "understood the sweetness and vulnerability of this character."

Landis has been on a winning streak in the past few years, writing scripts for films like Chronicle, American Ultra and Mr. Right. At Comic-Con, he announced he was writing a script about Looney Tunes skunk Pepé Le Pew for Warner Bros.

He's also a Hollywood scion, the son of titans in their respective fields, director-producer John Landis and costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis.

"My mother doesn't give me specific advice, but she has taught me that clothing is character," he says. "So I'm very invested in the costumes, and that 100 percent comes from my mom. I knew that Dirk had to immediately look different from everyone else. Throughout the first season, you'll notice that, while Dirk's costumes aren't outlandish, they're certainly eye-popping."

And advice from his dad?

"I showed him the trailer and he was like, 'Oh, it looks great, but it needs to be recut — here're all my notes.' I was like, 'Dad, we don't control the trailer.' He said 'Oh, then you're f—ked.' He's very sweet."