Filming begins on Starz's Neil Gaiman Adaptation 'American Gods'
After plenty of casting news and lead-up, Neil Gaiman's American Gods has finally begun production on a project that's seen difficult developmental times.
Starz has picked up the project when early on HBO was interested, and the property has bounced around from format to format in various attempts to see it reach the screen. Now, Neil Gaiman has announced commencement on the series with a handful of set images.
The story is probably Gaiman's most famous, behind his career-defining work on The Sandman. American Gods is the story of a war between the new gods and the classic ones of mythology. Shadow Moon is caught between the two factions, as the new gods represent modern inventions of man (money, technology, drugs etc.).
Ricky Whittle plays Shadow, while Ian McShane is Mr. Wednesday. Cloris Leachman has joined the cast as Zorya Vechernyaya, “the eldest of three sisters who watch over the constellations, guarding against horrors forgotten by modern man. Once accustomed to royal status, the sisters have learned to survive on far less in a country that has no memory of them.”
Peter Stormare plays Czernobog, a “Slavic god of darkness and evil” who “is reluctant to join the coming war, wary of Wednesday’s motivations.”
Chris Obi is Anubis, the jackal-headed Egyptian god of the dead who guides mortals through the judgment of their souls. Mousa Kraish rounds out the cast as The Jinn, a mythic creature of flame and desire. The Jimmy considers fleeing from America with fears of his safety.
Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) is a promising pick as co-showrunner, alongside Michael Green. The 10-episode first season will take some liberties with the source material, such as enhancing the roles of female characters such as Laura Moon (Emily Browning).
Source: Collider
