Neil Gaiman gives update on 'American Gods' TV adaptation, moves from HBO to FreemantleMedia

Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed novel American Gods is still being developed for television, just at a different home. After failing to move forward at HBO, it is going to be produced by FreemantleMedia. The author gave an update on his blog after the company picked up the rights.

HBO began work on American Gods in 2011, but the series never materialized. Then in November 2013, Gaiman said in a Reddit AMA that the project is still alive and that a big change was about to be announced, notes Comic Book Resources.

Gaiman then gave an update on his blog Monday, confirming that the project has a home with American Idol producer Freemantle. the company also produces dramas like Tomorrow People and A&E’s upcoming The Returned. The author said that there’s no details on who will be starring in it or what american network will air the show, but “it already looks like it's going to be a smoother run developing it than it had at HBO, so I am very pleased.”

He also detailed the failed process at HBO and how it landed at Freemantle. After three pilot scripts, none worked and it moved to HBO’s Cinemax, which also decided to pass. It was going to be a co-production with Tom Hanks’ Playtone, but after HBO and Cinemax passed, they couldn’t work with Playtone. Thankfully though, Stefanie Berk, who championed American Gods at Playtone, just moved to Freemantle.

Gaiman, whose work includes the acclaimed Coraline and the Sandman comic book series, also said that the BBC and Red is developing his Anansi Boys as a mini-series.

image: Wikimedia Commons

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