Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods’ Greenlit By Starz

 

Starz is moving ahead with its adaptation of “American Gods,” the acclaimed 2001 fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman.

According to the cable channel, the start of production will be contingent on the casting of protagonist Shadow Moon. Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal”) and Michael Green (“The River,” “Heroes”) will write the series and serve as showrunners. Gaiman is on board as executive producer of the project, which hails from FreeMantle North America.

Previously in development for HBO, “American Gods” is built on the premise that deities and figures of myth and folklore exist only because people believe in them. It follows an ex-convict named Shadow who, upon early release from prison after his wife is killed in a car crash, is hired to be the bodyguard of a mysterious con man named Wednesday. However, it’s soon revealed that Wednesday is an incarnation of All-Father Odin, who’straveling America recruiting his fellow forgotten deities to wage an epic battle against the new American gods — manifestations of modern life and technology, like Internet, media and credit cards.

“I am thrilled, ‎scared, delighted, nervous and a ball of glorious anticipation,” Gaiman said in a statement. “The team that is going to bring the world of ‘American Gods’ to the screen has been assembled like the master criminals in a caper movie: I’m relieved and confident that my baby is in good hands. Now we finally move to the exciting business that fans have been doing for the last dozen years: casting our Shadow, our Wednesday, our Laura …”

Fuller recently revealed the series could premiere in late 2016.