Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions Announces Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods’

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

by Karen Chu

SINGAPORE – Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions is set to produce a six-season, open-ended series, American Gods, for HBO, based on Neil Gaiman’s award-winning novel, while the company’s next project, Major Matt Mason, is in talks with Robert Zemeckis to direct in 3D, Playtone partner Gary Goetzman told The Hollywood Reporter.

The series-in-development, revolving around the question “are you a god if no one believes in you?” is executive produced by Goetzman and Hanks, with Bob Richardson, and Gaiman on board as executive producer and writer.

Each of the six seasons will be of 10-12, hour-long episodes with a budget of around $35-40 million per season, targeted to debut on the cable powerhouse in 2013 at the earliest.

Rich in religious folklore that spanned millennia and featuring deities from Greek and Nordic mythology, and even the Judeo-Christian monotheistic God making an appearance, in the contemporary U.S., American Gods will be effects-heavy to do justice to the awe-inspiring power of the divine beings. “There are some crazy things in there. We’ll probably be doing more effects in there than it’s been done on a television series,” said Goetzman.

via Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions Announces Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods,’ Mattel’s ‘Major Matt Mason,’ Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ (Exclusive) – The Hollywood Reporter.