To call Neil Gaiman’s writing dense is an understatement. The wiry wordsmith has a unique talent for creating complex, layered mythologies for readers to decipher, and nowhere is that more evident than in American Gods. Gaiman’s 2001 novel about a battle between the new gods and the old gods for the soul of America, and the ex-con who finds himself smack dab in the middle of this divine donnybrook, is chockfull of memorable characters. However, much like Game of Thrones, there is quite a hefty number of them, and that can make keeping track of each one a bit of a challenge. It’s certainly going to be one of the hurdles that showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green will have to overcome with their hotly anticipated TV adaptation of Gaiman’s novel. Thankfully, we’re here to help.
via GIPHY
While at SXSW, the cast and creators of American Gods made the pilgrimage to Nerdist’s Backyard Bash at Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden to sit down with our live audience and answer questions about the show. Executive producers Bryan Fuller and Michael Green were joined by Ricky Whittle, Pablo Schreiber, Emily Browning, Bruce Langley, Betty Gilpin, Ian McShane, Jonathan Tucker, Crispin Glover, Orlando Jones, and Yetide Badaki. In addition to explaining how the election of Donald Trump put the show in a new context, the cast and crew took a moment to introduce themselves, and their onscreen counterparts, to the crowd.https://twitter.com/BryanFuller/status/843968461197869056
For those of you who haven’t read the book, this is a great little primer that should give you an inkling as to what’s coming your way when American Gods premieres on April 30, 2017. We’ll be doing a more extensive explainer on American Gods in the days and weeks ahead, but consider this an amuse bouche for your brain in the meantime.
Who are you most excited to see on American Gods? Let us know in the comments below.
Image: Starz
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).
