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)

Anyway, Neil Gaiman isn’t the only big name that might be attached to this project – Gaiman’s good friend Guillermo Del Toro is also being courted to direct. Zhang had this to say about Del Toro’s potential involvement: “He has shown a lot of interest but he wants to see the treatment first. Obviously the more celebrated the director, the busier they are.” Well, considering Del Toro recently got a little less busy, he might be game for something like this.

Oh, and it’s going to be in 3D (of course), which will be consulted on by James Cameron in some capacity. Zhang’s strategy seems to be hiring talented people to make people interested in his movie – I wonder if that would ever catch on in America? (via The Playlist)

If you were a nerd with an affinity for the occult between the years of 1988 and 1996, this news may upset. Warner Bros. Television is moving forward with plans to adapt Neil Gaiman‘s "Sandman." Also, condolences on being a nerd.

It’s not all bad news though. "Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke is said to be Warners’ #1 choice to head up the project. We don’t write about "Supernatural" much around here but it is a mostly-solid show. Kripke is immensely talented, and is certainly capable of building the intricate world required to pull this off. Unless he’s not available. In which case, you could always get Tim Kring. That would be good too, right guys? Guys?? (THR)