Looking at it from a purely adult point of view (which is hard for me, I’ll admit), if TV networks were people, Starz would be that promising young person who hasn’t quite figured it out yet. It’s gone through a few stages, and tried out a few different personas; some of which have been more successful than others.
For instance, Starz gave us Spartacus, and we were all like, “Hell yeah! More of that, please!” Then, Starz gave us Black Flag and Power, to which we went: “Starz. In the name of all the gods, please stop it.” Fortunately for all of us, it seems that both Starz and the gods have heard our prayers. Nothing says “we’re not kidding around here” like announcing your intent to produce a series based on anything written by Neil Gaiman, let alone a thematically complex novel, such as American Gods.
A long-time fan favorite, and arguably, one that cemented Neil Gaiman as one of the great authors of his time, American Gods follows a man named Shadow as he navigates the American landscape amidst a war between the old gods and the new. To hear Mr. Gaiman tell it, the series was originally being developed by HBO up until late last year. The project changed hands back in February, and “It already looks like it’s going to be a smoother run developing it than it had at HBO, so I am very pleased.”
Take that, Starz bashers! [she says, looking around nervously] What now, huh?!
Also attached to the project is Bryan Fuller, whose name you might recognize if you’ve watched any part of Hannibal on NBC, as we strongly suggested you did, and Michael Green of Heroes fame. To hear Fuller tell it,
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.
It’s hard to top that, even when you walk amongst the gods.
