Sean Harris (The Borgias), Bruce Langley (Deadly Waters), and Yetide Badaki (Aquarius) have signed on to Starz and FremantleMedia North America’s American Gods. Harris, Langley, and Badaki join previously announced American Gods cast members Ricky Whittle (The 100), Emily Browning, and Ian McShane in the TV adaption of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel.
Hannibal‘s Bryan Fuller and Michael Green serve as showrunners and are adapting Gaiman’s critically acclaimed book for the series. Fuller and Green will also executive produce along with Neil Gaiman and David Slade (30 Days of Night, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). Slade’s also on board to direct the pilot and other episodes of season one.
According to Starz, Harris is set to play Mad Sweeney, “a down-on-his-luck leprechaun who is having a hard time understanding how he lost his charm and way. Always up for a good fight, Sweeney is never deprived while in the employment of Mr. Wednesday.” Badaki was cast in the role of Bilquis, “an ancient goddess of love who craves the worship she inspired in eras long gone, and who is eager to find that same relevance in today’s world.” And Langley is set to tackle the role of Technical Boy, “a New God who is purveyor of all things technology. Desperate to prove himself, and hungry for respect and power, he struggles to keep his impulsivity and petulance in check, making him dangerously unpredictable.”
Filming is expected to get underway this month.
The Story: The plot posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.
