HBO is in talks to bring Gaiman’s book American Gods to their network as a new series. The backdrop for this story is that old school religious gods and mythological creatures are losing power as less people worship them, and the new “gods” of technology and the media are taking their place. So, when The Beatles said they were “more popular than Jesus,” the subtext was that they were acquiring more god-power than him too. The heroes in American Gods are criminals, and one of whom turns out to be an old fashioned spiritual overlord who’s recruiting an army for a war between the gods. And there you go.

The plan is to have Gaiman team up with top cinematographer Robert Richardson (Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill) to co-write the pilot. The Playtone Company’s Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks (the guy from the Dragnet movie) brought the book to HBO, so they’ll surely want to “play gods” for this show too.

One thing I can say is that, for the most part, I’m on board with The G-Man. Coraline kicked ass, his comics work is rightfully celebrated, and Beowulf would have been a lot better if the motion capture didn’t steal all the characters souls. Many fanboys worship him, which is why he’s growing in power as we speak… (Deadline)