We are getting closer to the Starz adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods coming to our screens, people. We now have an official first look at the show, and, oh my, it looks amazing. Check it out.
Uh...Dude. That. Looks. Awesome. This video appeared on the Starz official American Gods Facebook page not long ago, and, lordy, it's as if it were dropped from the heavens directly into our patiently waiting little laps. I cannot imagine that there would have been any better way to let all the people who've been hoping for the show know that we can expect to see something amazing when American Gods finally hits screens early next year. That was a simply gorgeous view of the show, and I'm going to take a wild guess now, and say that it's going to be a huge hit for Starz.
There's a lot going on in that magnificent first look at American Gods, so let's break down what we're seeing a little bit. The video starts with what is basically the beginning of the story in the book, Shadow Moon (Robby Whittle) gets released from prison a few days early after the loss of his wife. While still in the throes of mourning her, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) who tells him, "I could use a fellow like you." What does that mean? Well, it means that Shadow's life is about to very real. He takes a job as a bodyguard to Mr. Wednesday and is quickly drawn into a world of mythological characters, many of whom are known as the Old Gods (Odin, Anubis, Thoth, etc). As the two travel the country, it becomes clear that a showdown is coming between the Old Gods and the New Gods (the internet, TV, credit cards...), and Shadow and his new boss are going to be right smack in the middle of it.
At one point in the video Shadow says, "I think I'm losing my mind," and, of course he feels like he's going crazy. The idea of being presented with actual physical manifestations of gods, even if you believe in some type of god yourself, is going to do a number on anyone, especially when you find out that all the gods from all the religions of all time are actually real. I'm losing it a little just thinking about the fictional possibility of finding out news like that. As Mr. Wednesday says, though, "Either the world is crazy, or you are," and I guess in American Gods the answer is that the world is way crazier than most of us imagine.
If you've already treated yourself to repeated viewings of the video, you can see that the new show will be filled with some truly stunning visuals. Combine that with a tone that seems to be realistic but still makes the whole thing seem suitably weird and otherworldly, and I do believe that Starz will have a solid hit on its hands. We can all check out American Gods when Season 1 premieres on Starz next year.
