HBO Developing Series Based on Neil Gaiman's American Gods

[Greg Tito]

HBO Developing Series Based on Neil Gaiman's American Gods

The series based on Gaiman's 2001 novel would showcase his new pantheon of deities based on American culture.

The details are scarce, but HBO is currently in talks to write and film a pilot for a new fantasy series. Interestingly, the series would be produced by Playtone - the outfit of Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman who made Big Love and Band of Brothers. Gaiman first gained notoriety as a comic book writer with his Sandman series in the late eighties but he's since branched into writing novels, short stories and movies (Beowulf). Gaiman's works are no stranger to adaptation as his novella Coraline become the 2009 animated film and his Graveyard Book is also tapped to be a feature film. No one knows who would write the script for American Gods or when production would begin, but it seems that HBO is becoming more interested in genre content with the success of True Blood and the imminent Game of Thrones.

The main character in American Gods is an ex-convict called Shadow, who starts working as a bodyguard for a mysterious con-man named Mr. Wednesday. As Wednesday travels across the United States meeting with strange people, Shadow eventually figures out that his employer is an incarnation of the Norse god Odin and that he is recruiting other mythological figures whose power has diminished to fight a war against new American "deities" such as the Internet, media, and mass transportation.

There is a lot of twists and turns in the plot, none of which I'm going to reveal here, but American Gods is mostly a road story so it would fit nicely into an episodic TV series. I was a little disappointed with the third act of the book, it just didn't deliver on the oomph that the awesome premise set up, so maybe a TV series will do the story justice.

Then again, sci-fi or fantasy stories don't really have a great track record of good endings in episodic TV. (I'm looking at you, Lost and BSG.)

Source: Hollywood Reporter [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-developing-neil-gaimans-american-178726]

Permalink

 

[Evilsanta]

Ohhh..Sounds nice! I loved the book.

But will stay cautiosly optimistic.

 

[MurderousToaster]

I'll be interested to see how they show certain parts of the book.

Like the part where a woman sort of eats a man with her vagina,

 

[Plinglebob]

THERE IS A GOD!!! Well, multiple ones now but still....

I was worried when rumours hit of a possible film, but a series could definitely do the book justice. Now, where's that Preacher adaptation?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Hot damn.

We can hope...

 

[Proteus214]

This actually sounds quite interesting. I'll have to pick this one up before the series hits.

Like the part where a woman sort of eats a man with her vagina,

wat

 

[Truly-A-Lie]

It's my favourite book, so I really hope the series is done well.

Like the part where a woman sort of eats a man with her vagina,

I remember the first time I read that bit, I was confused. I think I still am confused, it was bizarre. Although the same could be said for all of the "Somewhere in America" segments, like the one with the gay taxi driver.

 

[Da Joz]

I hated this book so I guess I'm not watching this.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

This actually sounds quite interesting. I'll have to pick this one up before the series hits.

Like the part where a woman sort of eats a man with her vagina,

wat

It happens.

Anyway, I read that book. It was alright. Might have to keep my eye one this one.

 

[Templar9]

Sounds good, hopefully they'll take a few cues from Supernatural, the creators have said many times that American Gods was a huge inspiration for that series and that seems to of paid off.

 

[Falseprophet]

Much as I love Gaiman and liked this book (although I think the third-act stumble is common in his work), I wish they were doing Garth Ennis' Preacher [http://www.slashfilm.com/hbo-kills-preacher-television-series/] instead.

Then again, sci-fi or fantasy stories don't really have a great track record of good endings in episodic TV. (I'm looking at you, Lost and BSG.)

You forgot X-Files. It's because most of these series creators hint that they have a master plan, but actually don't, and end up having to tie up all the strands of the confusing mythology they've created.

Babylon 5 had a great ending, because it was planned well in advance. The tacked-on fifth season--eh, not so much, but the final episode was a great send-off for the series. Star Trek TNG had a really good ending considering it was an episodic series with no overriding plot arc to begin with. Too bad it was ruined by the movies.

 

[MurderousToaster]

It's my favourite book, so I really hope the series is done well.

Like the part where a woman sort of eats a man with her vagina,

I remember the first time I read that bit, I was confused. I think I still am confused, it was bizarre. Although the same could be said for all of the "Somewhere in America" segments, like the one with the gay taxi driver.

I expected some weird shit, to be sure, but I didn't expect to have a homosexual sex scene with a taxi driving Islamic fire-man-thing and a trinket salesman. That part would be...uh...definitely somewhat odd to see on screen.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

Awesome! I loved the book, so I'll keep my eye on this!

 

[Albino Boo]

Much as I love Gaiman and liked this book (although I think the third-act stumble is common in his work), I wish they were doing Garth Ennis' Preacher [http://www.slashfilm.com/hbo-kills-preacher-television-series/] instead.

Then again, sci-fi or fantasy stories don't really have a great track record of good endings in episodic TV. (I'm looking at you, Lost and BSG.)

You forgot X-Files. It's because most of these series creators hint that they have a master plan, but actually don't, and end up having to tie up all the strands of the confusing mythology they've created.

Babylon 5 had a great ending, because it was planned well in advance. The tacked-on fifth season--eh, not so much, but the final episode was a great send-off for the series. Star Trek TNG had a really good ending considering it was an episodic series with no overriding plot arc to begin with. Too bad it was ruined by the movies.

Oddly enough Gaiman wrote one of the 5th season Babylon 5 episodes.

I'll be interested to see how they show certain parts of the book.

Like the part where a woman sort of eats a man with her vagina,

That's not a woman.
I think the bit where his wife dies might trifle problematic as well

 

[dmase]

... I'm so confused with the whole premise and how its not a comedy. Or is it? I need to read it.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

Interesting. Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite writers and I did enjoy American Gods, though not as much as a lot of his work. I don't think it was so much the 3rd act that didn't have the omph it needed, more the lack of any real climax.

Could definitly see this being a great TV series though. Mainly because, as people have said, the man eating Vagina sequence is going to be epic.

 

[Senor Smoke21]

Then again, sci-fi or fantasy stories don't really have a great track record of good endings in episodic TV. (I'm looking at you, Lost and BSG.)

What was wrong with the ending of BSG? I thought it rounded everything off nicely.

OT: Never heard of American Gods before, sounds like a pretty sweet premise though.

 

[MurderousToaster]

Much as I love Gaiman and liked this book (although I think the third-act stumble is common in his work), I wish they were doing Garth Ennis' Preacher [http://www.slashfilm.com/hbo-kills-preacher-television-series/] instead.

Then again, sci-fi or fantasy stories don't really have a great track record of good endings in episodic TV. (I'm looking at you, Lost and BSG.)

You forgot X-Files. It's because most of these series creators hint that they have a master plan, but actually don't, and end up having to tie up all the strands of the confusing mythology they've created.

Babylon 5 had a great ending, because it was planned well in advance. The tacked-on fifth season--eh, not so much, but the final episode was a great send-off for the series. Star Trek TNG had a really good ending considering it was an episodic series with no overriding plot arc to begin with. Too bad it was ruined by the movies.

Oddly enough Gaiman wrote one of the 5th season Babylon 5 episodes.

I'll be interested to see how they show certain parts of the book.

Like the part where a woman sort of eats a man with her vagina,

That's not a woman.
I think the bit where his wife dies might trifle problematic as well

Well, for the intents and purposes of that part, it was a woman. Vagina, boobs, etc. It also makes it easier for people who haven't read the book to sort of envision the scene.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

... I'm so confused with the whole premise and how its not a comedy. Or is it? I need to read it.

It's far from a comedy, I'd say it's in fact Neil Gaiman's darkest piece of work. All these once all powerful entities that are now sad refugees living in America...It's quite touching, even if a lot of the gods are pretty melicous (you can imagine the Aztec gods).

 

[xanith02100]

Exciting! Loved the book, will have to check this out.