Neil Gaiman’s American Gods has finally found its Mr. Wednesday.
Starz has announced that Ian McShane has nabbed one of the leading roles in American Gods as Mr. Wednesday, a con man who is secretly an incarnation of one of the most well known deities. McShane is best known for this three seasons on HBO’s Deadwood and his recent stint on Ray Donovan. McShane also has a major role on Game of Thrones in the upcoming sixth season.
The 100’s Ricky Whittle was previously cast in American Gods as the other leading character, Shadow Moon. Within Gaiman’s original novel, Shadow Moon was an ex-con who was hired to be Mr. Wednesday’s bodyguard as Wednesday gathered his godly allies for a confrontation with the gods of the modern era.
Related: Bryan Fuller on American Gods and Amazing Stories
In statement, Gaiman said “When you write a beloved character (beloved with, or despite, or because of all his faults) like Mr. Wednesday, you get to watch the internet trying to cast the role. I’ve seen a hundred names suggested, but few make me grin like Ian McShane does. I’ve already been lucky enough to have him in one film (he was bright blue in it, animated, and probably Polish). Now I count myself even luckier: he’s made the journey from Lovejoy to American Gods. Yesterday was Super Tuesday. Today is Wonderful Wednesday.”
American Gods is still casting its other leading roles, but production is expected to begin in April. The series is being overseen by Bryan Fuller, who was recently named the showrunner of CBS All Access’ new Star Trek series.
Are you excited to see McShane back in a major role on TV? Let us know in the comment section below!
