hbo Six Seasons Planned For HBO's American Gods Adaptation

[Rappy Veteran]

A series like Game Of Thrones doesn't come along every day, even if you are HBO, but if there's any justice in the world American Gods will be the channel's next mega-hit, and word has now emerged that HBO is currently planning a six-season arc for the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel.

The book's focus is a man called Shadow, who's about to be released from prison when word reaches him that his much-loved wife has been killed in a car crash. It's just the first in a series of blows for the strong but silent type, who soon finds himself reluctantly working for a charismatic salesman called Mr Wednesday and drawn into a conflict between America's gods, old and new.

Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions are going to be pulling it all together, with a $40m budget for each series of 10-12 episodes - not a vast amount for that much screen time. While the novel has a sprawling cast of characters and a fantasy-heavy story that will demand a large amount of CG and stretch that budget, there are also lots of human-focused scenes that should only require a decent cast.

For more on American Gods and the rest of Neil Gaiman's work, check out our podcast special with him below. Look out for American Gods on TV either late this year or (more likely, we suspect) sometime in 2014.

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=37958

[V-Tech]

I dont know this book so i have no idea if it's any good or not but planing a series for 6 seasons before it's even out is just crazy IMO.

[DocM]

The novel American Gods is freakin' damned epic. If this is half as good as the novel (y) (y)

AG won the Nebula, Hugo, SFX Magazine, Locus, and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novel, and it was nominated for the 2001 BSFA Award. Good enough that a 10th Anniversary "director's cut" edition was published.

[Mathachew Veteran]

I read American Gods last year and still don't get what's so great about it. Hey look, we're all a bunch of gods but... we don't really do anything. That's what it felt like when I read the 10th Anniversary edition. After so many accolades, it certainly was a disappointment to me. The story just wasn't that engaging.

[DocM]

It's not that we are gods but that those who came here brought the embodiments of their cultures Old Gods & spirits with them, and then there's the interplay with the New Gods (trying hard not to post spoilers.) I really liked it.

[Mathachew Veteran]

It's not that we are gods but that those who came here brought the embodiments of their cultures Old Gods & spirits with them, and then there's the interplay with the New Gods (trying hard not to post spoilers.) I really liked it.

 

I get that, but well, this review expresses the frustration I had. It's the only time I've read a book that was released with more content than the original, and I've learned my lesson. I'm going to stick with a first edition, because I felt like what was added only prolonged my boredom, to put it simply.