A first glimpse at Starz’s American Gods comes from on high

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

We've been talking about American Gods for so long that it's actually kind of stunning to finally be getting a look at it. I;m not sure I ever really believed this day would come. But it certainly has, and now we have our first look from the set of Starz's Neil Gaiman adaptation.

These photos, taking place in a crocodile-themed bar, show Ian McShane, as Mr. Wednesday, the smirking Norse God Odin, Pablo Schreiber as down-on-his-luck leprechaun Mad Sweeney, and Ricky Whittle as our human protagonist, ex-convict Shadow Moon. Check them out below!

Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (The River) are writing and serving as the showrunners. The plot centers on:

a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.  

The series will also star Emily Browning as Shadow's wife, Laura Moon, Yetide Badaki as goddess of love Bilquis; Bruce Langley as New God Technical Boy; Crispin Glover as New Gods coalition leader Mr. World; and Jonathan Tucker as Shadow's confidante Low Key Lyesmith.

Also starring: Cloris Leachman as Zorya Vechernyaya, the eldest of three sisters who watch over the constellations; Peter Stormare as Slavic god of darkness and evil Czernobog; Chris Obi as Egyptian god of the death Anubis; and Mousa Kraish as The Jinn, a mythical creature of the fire who understands a person’s deepest desires better than they do. Gillian Anderson will be playing Media, the mouthpiece for the New Gods. 

Orlando Jones will be playing Mr. Nancy, the African trickster god Anansi. Demore Barnes plays Mr. Ibis, the keeper of stories, past and present.