Starz’s small screen take on Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed novel, American Gods kicked off this past Sunday, and should the show prove to be as popular as analysts predict, it could well run for several more seasons. As those who tuned in will know, one of the main characters, Mr. Wednesday, is played by veteran British actor Ian McShane, and when he signed on for the role, it was generally assumed that his contract would prevent him from being a part of the planned Deadwood movie. However, we have some good news for fans of HBO’s short-lived western series, as that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Deadwood ended prematurely after only three seasons, but it was clear that the story was far from complete. Over the years, we’ve heard rumors of a movie being in the works, and it’s now finally been confirmed that series creator David Milch has delivered a script and plans are in place to get the main cast members back together. Of course, it would all be pointless without McShane’s vicious, profane saloon owner, the aptly named Al Swearengen, but EW has looked into the actor’s current contract situation and confirmed that he’ll be allowed to jump back over to HBO to shoot the film – provided there are no scheduling conflicts, that is.
This news is sure to please fans, as it’ll be quite interesting to see McShane return to his most iconic role and catch up with the other Deadwood denizens after so many years. Let’s just hope the movie finally gets off the ground and doesn’t once again wind up in development hell.
While we await further Deadwood updates, be sure to tune in to American Gods this Sunday to follow the adventures of what’s certain to be remembered as another great Ian McShane character.