Back in April, reports surfaced that HBO was in negotiations to bring Neil Gaiman’s novel “American Gods” to life as a TV series. And although the official announcement may still be forthcoming, the adaptation seems to be a done deal.
While at a film event in Singapore, producer Gary Goetzman told The Hollywood Reporter that “American Gods” is going forward as an open-ended series with a planned run of six seasons. Goetzman also indicated that “American Gods” would feature 10 to 12 episodes per season, with an estimated budget of $35 to $40 million.
Goetzman is an executive producer on the project through Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions. Hanks is also on board as an executive producer along with Gaiman and Bob Richardson.
“American Gods” was originally published in 2001 and it takes place during a growing conflict between Gods from the older pantheons and a new breed of modern day Gods who embody America’s obsessions with celebrity, technology and drugs. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Goetzman stated that the central question of the series would be “are you a God if no one believes in you?”
“There are some crazy things in there,” noted Goetzman. “We’ll probably be doing more [special] effects in there than it’s been done on a television series.”
Gaiman also weighed in on the news with a post on his Twitter feed : “And for those asking, No, 6 years of AMERICAN GODS on TV doesn’t mean just the 1st book. It means I need to write the 2nd now, for a start.”
“American Gods” is expected to debut on HBO in 2013.
