"American Gods" (HBO) -- speculation/discussion/spoilers

[DigiFluid]

You may have noticed this show never materialized. Here's why:

Here’s Why the ‘American Gods’ HBO Series Never Happened

You may recall that a few years back, HBO was planning a six-season adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s American Gods. You may also have noticed that that it never actually came to pass. So what happened? Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming, has the answer.

Lombardo touched upon the scrapped American Gods plans in a conversation with Vulture. After admitting he was sad HBO had lost the option to American Gods, he explained:

I think we’re all huge fans of the book, and I think the script just didn’t — we couldn’t craft the script as good as we needed it to be. I think we knew going in that it would be a challenge; every good book is a challenge to adapt it and find the level you need for it. The bar is high now for great dramas. And to find that bar — we tried. So it was a huge disappointment […] We tried three different writers, we put a lot of effort into it. Some things just don’t happen. We have to trust at the end of the day, if you don’t have a star with a great script, you’re just not going to go through with it.

He concluded, “Even though we love the book, we love the idea, we love the hope of what it could be, we just couldn’t get it right.”

Funnily enough, Gaiman revealed last year that one of the things HBO didn’t like about his script was that he’d added new material that wasn’t in the books. “[I]t was definitely the sort of awkward, embarrassed notes from HBO where they’re going ‘Um, can you make it more like the book?’” he recalled.

Overall, though, it’s tough to argue with Lombardo’s reasoning. It’s clear HBO put in the effort, even if they didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Gaiman, but was smart enough to recognize when their best just wasn’t good enough. Their decision spared fans the heartbreak of seeing beloved source material turned into a subpar series.

Plus, it’s left the door open for someone else to do the story right. After HBO lost the rights, FremantleMedia swooped in to scoop them up. They’re now developing a new version of the American Gods series with Gaiman serving as executive producer.

[Angela V]

Thanks for posting this Digi. I'd forgotten about this show.

I found this frustrating:
"Funnily enough, Gaiman revealed last year that one of the things HBO didn’t like about his script was that he’d added new material that wasn’t in the books. “[I]t was definitely the sort of awkward, embarrassed notes from HBO where they’re going ‘Um, can you make it more like the book?’” he recalled.

Overall, though, it’s tough to argue with Lombardo’s reasoning. It’s clear HBO put in the effort, even if they didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Gaiman, but was smart enough to recognize when their best just wasn’t good enough. Their decision spared fans the heartbreak of seeing beloved source material turned into a subpar series."

The WRITER of the book's script wasn't good enough. Um WTF?!? Even if he decided to change some things how could it even be close to subpar when it's the actual author of the book. Good gravy! If the series True Blood could last this long with how FAR from the books it has been... well, I'm speechless.

[P-90_177]

Thanks for posting this Digi. I'd forgotten about this show.

I found this frustrating:
"Funnily enough, Gaiman revealed last year that one of the things HBO didn’t like about his script was that he’d added new material that wasn’t in the books. “[I]t was definitely the sort of awkward, embarrassed notes from HBO where they’re going ‘Um, can you make it more like the book?’” he recalled.

Overall, though, it’s tough to argue with Lombardo’s reasoning. It’s clear HBO put in the effort, even if they didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Gaiman, but was smart enough to recognize when their best just wasn’t good enough. Their decision spared fans the heartbreak of seeing beloved source material turned into a subpar series."

The WRITER of the book's script wasn't good enough. Um WTF?!? Even if he decided to change some things how could it even be close to subpar when it's the actual author of the book. Good gravy! If the series True Blood could last this long with how FAR from the books it has been... well, I'm speechless.

It depends on how much Gaiman fiddled with it. Give a writer a chance to re-read a previous work and he's likely to hate half of it.

[DigiFluid]

....and then suddenly Starz picked it up:

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Starz Picked up the American Gods TV Show, and Bryan Fuller Is Co-Showrunning

Here’s where we left the American Gods TV show: HBO was going to do it but then didn’t, because reasons. FremantleMedia picked up the slack and started developing their own version, but with no network attached.

And here’s where are are now: Starz just picked up American Gods. Neil Gaiman will executive produce along with Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Hannibal) and Michael Green (Kings, Heroes), who are showrunning. Fuller will write the pilot.

Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

Starz Managing Director Carmi Zlotnik promises “a series that honors the book and does right by the fans and viewers,” but of course he would say that. I’m more interested in what Gaiman, who wrote the book American Gods, has to say. And here he is:

“When you create something like American Gods, which attracts fans and obsessives and people who tattoo quotes from it on themselves or each other, and who all, tattooed or not, just care about it deeply, it’s really important to pick your team carefully: you don’t want to let the fans down, or the people who care and have been casting it online since the dawn of recorded history. What I love most about the team who I trust to take it out to the world, is that they are the same kind of fanatics that American Gods has attracted since the start. I haven’t actually checked Bryan Fuller or Michael Green for quote tattoos, but I would not be surprised if they have them. The people at Fremantle are the kinds of people who have copies of American Gods in the bottom of their backpacks after going around the world, and who press them on their friends. And the team at Starz have been quite certain that they wanted to give Shadow, Wednesday and Laura a home since they first heard that the book was out there.I can’t wait to see what they do to bring the story to the widest possible audience able to cope with it.”

“Neil Gaiman has created the holiest of holy toy boxes with American Gods and filled it with all manner of magical thing, born of new gods and old,” adds Fuller. “Michael Green and I are thrilled to crack this toy box wide open and unleash the fantastical titans of heaven and earth and Neil’s vividly prolific imagination.”

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Link

[The Shrike]

I just started reading this the other day, and I can't put it down. As for the tv series, lets just say that Starz + Gaiman + Fuller = how can this miss.

Casting speculation:

Shadow - Jason Momoa

Wednesday - Malcolm McDowell

Mad Sweeney - Brian Robinson

[Platschu]

Have you seen the first season? It was a bit weird for me. Lots of artistic scenes, lots of very brutal and 18+ scenes as well. Somehow the whole season was a bit depressive for me, I don't know. But I love mythology and it was good to see the references. he best part of the season was Gillian Anderson. She is amazing as always.