Plans to bring Neil Gaiman’s bestseller American Gods to the small screen are back on track today as FremantleMedia reveals that it has secured the rights to the fantasy novel and has Gaiman himself set to executive produce a television series adaptation.
The plot posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of biblical and mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting societys modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, 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.
Initial (and now-defunct) plans for a small screen take on American Gods were first announced back in 2011 when Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone were planning on bringing the project to HBO.
At the moment, there are no specific details available as to how exactly FreemantleMedia is planning to adapt the book, but check back for updates as soon as they become available.
