For those who are unfamiliar with the name, American Gods is a fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman that was published in 2001. Unlike a lot of fantasy novels, it is not set in some other fantastical world but rather in a fantastical version of our own.
To be precise, American Gods lives up to its name by being set in an America where human belief is the power that provides mythological creatures and characters with existence. For example, when the people of Europe, Asia, and Africa immigrated to the United States, they brought Odin, Kali, Anansi, and countless others with them to the Americas. However, much as how the immigrants are not mere extensions of their previous homes in a new setting, the creatures and characters created by their belief are not mere extensions of their previous selves but rather new entities in a new setting. This can be seen in how the American Odin, Mr. Wednesday, is similar but not quite the same as the Icelandic Odin, Wodan.
Regardless, there is a problem in that the lack of belief is causing a corresponding decline in the mythological creatures and characters created by it, which is why so many of them are not reliant on some other means of survival. Instead, the modern preoccupation with modern concerns has given rise to new deities of computers, of the media, and so on and so forth, thus creating the potential for conflict between the new and the old as environmental pressures move them towards that direction. However, what is interesting is that whether new or old, no one is resigned to their fate, which is why the story starts with Mr. Wednesday hiring an ex-convict named Shadow Moon as his bodyguard for nebulous purposes.
Can American Gods Become a Feature Film?
At the moment, the fantasy novel has become a TV series, which can be seen on Starz as well as its streaming service. There are plans for multiple seasons of the show, with each season covering about a third of the fantasy novel. However, it is interesting to note that there is potential for seasons beyond that point, which is not a problem for the simple reason that the fantasy novel comes to a close with the protagonist having brought one narrative to a conclusion but still possessing the potential to live through many more in its fantastical landscape.
As a result, an argument can be made that American Gods would make an excellent source for a feature film of some sort. This could be a condensed version of the TV series, which would have to work by tightening focus on the protagonist but not so much so that the motivations of other characters become nonsensical. However, it would also be great if the hypothetical feature film revolved around a new story altogether, which would be entirely workable because the setting of American Gods is just as vast and seemingly boundless as the country in which it is set. In other words, the possibilities are limitless, which is why a feature film extending from the source material could work so well.
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