Neil Gaiman gave an American Gods anniversary interview/talk at New York’s 92nd St. YMCA last night and while we’re kicking ourselves for not going, io9 was in attendance and picked up some really interesting news about HBO’s American Gods adaptation, which has been offered a budget of $40 million a season for up to six seasons by Tom Hank’s Playtone Productions.
[Gaiman] said the production team is thinking that the first season of the show would cover the events of the novel.
Where is the rest of the show going to go? Why, Gaiman’s going to be handling that. The author said he has two more short stories concerning Shadow in the United Kingdom, and plenty of stuff that he wants to incorporate in further American Gods stories for the show, including Jesus, Bigfoot, and Cassadaga, Florida. “Also,” according to io9, “Shadow will be dealing with “baggage” that he brings back from his UK adventures.”
As for doing the entire show in one season, I’m guessing there will be much trimming of fat, so to speak, but American Gods is a novel with many, many plot threads and short stories intwined in it, many of which contribute more to the tone and setting than they ever do to the plot, so it can probably handle that. I wouldn’t mind seeing the whole “Clunker” story arc as a few flashback episodes later in the show’s run. Gaiman has a lot of experience writing for serial narratives, and is no stranger to non-linear writing for an ongoing series: just look at Sandman. Neverwhere, as well, was a television series first, which he adapted to the novelization that most non-1996-BBC-watching-fans are familiar with.
(io9.)
