HBO has entered into talks to acquire adaptation rights to author Neil Gaiman's novel "American Gods".
Gaiman and cinematographer Robert Richardson ("Inglorious Basterds"), will write the script together, for Playtone producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman ("Band Of Brothers").
"American Gods", published in 2001, won the Hugo and Nebula book writing awards, in a story blending Americana, fantasy and various strands of ancient/modern mythology, focusing on a mysterious protagonist named 'Shadow'. It is Gaiman's fourth prose novel, preceded by "Good Omens", "Neverwhere" and "Stardust".
The central precept of the novel is that 'gods' and mythological creatures exist because people believe in them, with immigrants to the United States bringing with them, their manifesting belief in 'dwarves', 'elves', 'leprechauns and other spirits. However, the power of these mythological beings diminish as people's beliefs wane, with new gods arising, reflecting America's obsessions with the 'new gods' representing sex, media, celebrity, technology and drugs.
"...the book follows the adventures of ex-convict 'Shadow', who is released from prison a few days earlier because of the death of his wife 'Laura' in a car accident. He discovers at the funeral that the car crashed because Laura was having sex with Shadow's late friend 'Robbie', who was driving. 
"Even before learning of the death of Robbie, Shadow was offered work as a bodyguard by con man 'Mr. Wednesday'. Shadow accepts Wednesday's offer and they both travel across America visiting Wednesday's unusual colleagues and acquaintances. Gradually, it is revealed that Wednesday is an incarnation of 'Odin the All-Father', who in his current guise is recruiting American manifestations of the 'Old Gods' of ancient mythology, whose powers have waned as their believers have decreased in number, to participate in an epic battle against the 'New American Gods', manifestations of modern life and technology..."Click the images to enlarge...
