Starz and FremantleMedia North America have begun production on the 10-episode first season adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed fantasy novel American Gods (see “Starz Goes 'Straight to Series' With 'American Gods'”).

The series will star Rickey Whittle (The 100, Austenland) as Shadow Moon, supported by Ian McShane (Deadwood) as Mr. Wednesday, Emily Browning (Sucker Punch) as Laura Moon, Sean Harris (The Borgias) as Mad Sweeney, Yetide Badaki (Masters of Sex) as Bilquis, Bruce Langley (Deadly Waters) as Technical Boy, Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) as Mr. World, and Jonathan Tucker (Kingdom) as Low Key Lyesmith.  The main cast was recently joined by Cloris Leachman (Malcom in The Middle) as Zorya Vechernyaya, Peter Stormare (Fargo) as Czernobog, Chris Obi (Snow White and the Huntsman) as Anubis, and Mousa Kraish (Fast & Furious) as The Jinn.

Bryan Fuller (Hannibal, Pushing Daisies, Heroes) and Michael Green (The River, Kings, Heroes) of FremantleMedia North America are showrunners and writers on the series. David Slade (Hannibal, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) is directing the pilot and additional episodes. Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk are executive producing for FMNA, together with Fuller, Green, Slade and Neil Gaiman.

American Gods was released in 2001, and has won the Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novel. The story follows Shadow Moon, an ex-con who is coerced by conman Mr. Wednesday into serving as his bodyguard. Shadow soon enters a reality that is drastically different from the one he knows, where folkloric gods are real, but losing power as their worship wanes over the years. They are quickly being replaced by American Society’s new gods: which represent money, technology, celebrity, and modern vices. A war is brewing between the old and new gods, and Shadow is caught right in the middle.