If you follow any of the people working behind the scenes on the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods – the man himself, say, or co-showrunner Bryan Fuller – you'll know that the TV series is now shooting. And US channel Starz has announced new cast members Peter Stormare, Cloris Leachman, Chris Obi and Mousa Kraish.
For anyone who hasn't heard, Gaiman's book chronicles the struggle between the gods of old (mythological legends from around the world) and new (reflecting modern society's love for money, technology and celebrity, among other things), Shadow (Ricky Whittle), freshly released from prison, is trying to come to grips with his suddenly changing life and his connection with the Norse god Odin. Ian McShane is Mr. Wednesday, a crafty, charismatic con man bursting with weird wisdom, strange magic and big schemes who hires Shadow as his bodyguard while on a quest to recruit others like him.
Stormare, who if we're honest, feels like a natural choice for the show, will be Czernobog, a version of a dark Slavic old god who is reluctant to join the fight, while Leachman is Zorya Vechernyaya, the eldest of three sisters who watch over the constellations. Obi plays Anubis, the commanding ancient Egyptian god of the dead, gently guiding mortals through the judgment of their souls, with Kraish taking on the role of The Jinn, a mythical creature of the fire who understands a person’s deepest desires better than they do. He fears for his safety with the coming war, and considers fleeing America.
They join the likes of Emily Browning, Sean Harris, Yetide Badak, Bruce Langley, Crispin Glover and Jonathan Tucker. Fuller and Michael Green are the main executive producers and David Slade is directing the pilot and several other episodes and will steer the look of the series.