Neil Gaiman’s award-winning fantasy novel American Gods is headed to small screen in 2017, and as development begins to ramp up behind the scenes, Deadline reports that Hannibal alum David Slade has signed on to direct the pilot – and indeed several more episodes – of the adaptation.
It marks a miniature reunion on the production of FremantleMedia North America’s project, as it means Slade will partner with Bryan Fuller once more following the pair’s collaboration on NBC’s canned cult-favorite series. Fuller, who is acting as showrunner of Gods alongside Michael Green, took to Twitter to confirm Slade’s appointment at the helm.
EXCITING NEWS, #FANNIBALS! @DAVID_A_SLADE IS DIRECTING @AmericanGodsSTZ@neilhimself@andmichaelgreen@FMNATVpic.twitter.com/kyVlKmwn7k
— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) September 10, 2015
American Gods may still be a ways away but already, Slade’s involvement in the adaptation mirrors his time aboard NBC’s Hannibal, where he also directed the pilot, oversaw several episodes throughout the maiden season, and remained attached as an executive producer. After earning a straight-to-series order earlier this year, with Starz securing the show’s place among its own slate for 2017, American Gods has cast the net in search of its principal cast members – most notably Shadow Moon – though all is still quiet on that front.
Orbiting around a biblical war between old gods and the new gods – the Game of Thrones similarities end there – Gaiman’s 2001 epic has long flirted with a live-action adaptation, though with Slade on board and Starz taking strides to remain faithful to the source material, there’s reason to be hopeful for this latest effort. After all, Slade dabbled with the supernatural for Sony’s rendition of the Powers comic book series, directing the first two episodes, so it’ll be interesting to see how his transition to a bigger scale pans out.
American Gods is still very much in the early stages of development, though it’s currently targeting a premiere in 2017.