Tom Hanks To Produce Six-Season Adaptation of Gaiman’s ‘American Gods.’

The whispered-about, rumored-about HBO adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is officially a fucking go. Tom Hanks and his totally mint production team are planning a six-season adaptation.

Slashfilm:

Plans made by HBO and Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions to adapt Neil Gaiman‘s novel American Gods to television are even more elaborate than we expected. In April we learned that cinematographer Robert Richardson had brought the novel to Playtone, which in turn made a deal with HBO. But we didn’t know any details of how the adaptation would go, other than that Neil Gaiman would work on the pilot script with Mr. Richardson.

Now it seems that the companies plan a whopping six seasons based on the one novel. Or ‘inspired by’ might be more accurate, as drawing six seasons out of the novel will likely require writing a good deal of new material. But if Neil Gaiman is involved in that process, that new material could be a gift to his fans.

THR reports that the open-ended American Gods series is currently planned for six seasons of 10 to 12 one-hour episodes each, with a $35-40m budget per season. (Compare to Game of Thrones, which has a nine-episode season budgeted in the $50-60m range, or Rome, which cost $100m for twelve episodes.) We wouldn’t see the debut any earlier than 2013. Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks’ partner at Playtone, says ““There are some crazy things in there. We’ll probably be doing more effects in there than it’s been done on a television series.”

I very much like American Gods. I read it four years ago in a haze of depression and confusion, so much of its plot is lost to the mucky miasma of my memory. I’ll need to read it again. The idea of rolling it out into an HBO show tickles my taint, and I will skilfully sidestep the argument I’m certain some will make regarding whether or not it “needs to be made into a television show.” Or a movie. I like seeing my books in different mediums, I enjoy seeing them pushed into the visual spectrum. Seeing it done over six-seasons also excites me, as does the concept of rolling out new characters or plot lines that have Gaiman’s mysterious and sultry kiss of approval.

I’m sold.

You chaps? And uh, chapettes?