Tag: Freemantle

Starz ‘American Gods’ Adaptation Has Cast Its Shadow Moon!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Aside from Starz original announcement that the network was adapting Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, which was revealed all the way back in the Summer of 2014, we haven’t really heard much from the camp of the incredibly anticipated series.

Until today, that is, when Starz finally announced the actor who will portray Shadow Moon.

It’s Ricky Whittle, who you’ll probably recognize as Lincoln from The CW’s hit series The 100. Shadow Moon ‘is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.’

American Gods author Neil Gaiman noted that “I’m thrilled that Ricky has been cast as Shadow. His auditions were remarkable. The process of taking a world out of the pages of a book, and putting it onto the screen has begun. American Gods is, at its heart, a book about immigrants, and it seems perfectly appropriate that Shadow will, like so much else, be Coming to America. I’m delighted Ricky will get to embody Shadow. Now the fun starts.”

Showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green added that “We searched every continent and country and all the islands in between for our Shadow Moon, and we are lucky to have found Ricky.  Fans of the novel will find he has every bit of the heart of the character they fell in love with.”

The series ‘posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs.’

So, American Gods fans. Are you happy with Whittle in the role? Would you have preferred to see another actor? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Breaking News: “American Gods” Coming to Starz

by S.J. Borger

Starz announced that it will be bringing Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed urban fantasy “American Gods” to television.

“American Gods” follows Shadow Moon, an ex-con who is recruited by conman and old god,  Mr. Wednesday,  to be his bodyguard and traveling companion. The two are quickly embroiled in a desperate mission to create an alliance of old gods to fight the newer, upstart deities that reflect modern society’s love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. The 2001 novel has been translated into over 30 languages and won Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards for Best Novel.

Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies, Heroes) and Michael Green (The River, Kings, Heroes) are currently working on the pilot and will be both executive producers and showrunners for the show, which will be produced by Freemantle Media.

Fuller commented: “Neil Gaiman has created the holiest of holy toy boxes with ‘American Gods’ and filled it with all manner of magical things, born of new gods and old. Michael Green and I are thrilled to crack this toy box wide open and unleash the fantastical titans of heaven and earth and Neil’s vividly prolific imagination.”

Neil Gaiman, author of “American Gods”

HBO was working on an adaptation of “American Gods,” picking up the rights in 2011, but announced just in November 2013 that they had let the property go. 

“When you create something like ‘American Gods,’ which attracts fans and obsessives and people who tattoo quotes from it on themselves or each other, and who all, tattooed or not, just care about it deeply, it’s really important to pick your team carefully,” said author Neil Gaiman, “You don’t want to let the fans down, or the people who care and have been casting it online since the dawn of recorded history. What I love most about the team who I trust to take it out to the world, is that they are the same kind of fanatics that ’American Gods’ has attracted since the start. I haven’t actually checked Bryan Fuller or Michael Green for quote tattoos, but I would not be surprised if they have them. The people at Fremantle are the kinds of people who have copies of ‘American Gods in the bottom of their backpacks after going around the world, and who press them on their friends. And the team at Starz have been quite certain that they wanted to give Shadow, Wednesday and Laura a home since they first heard that the book was out there.I can’t wait to see what they do to bring the story to the widest possible audience able to cope with it”

No news on when to expect American Gods, nor is there any information on what we’re all dying to know (who will play Shadow???) but keep checking back here for more updates.