Emily Browning to play Laura Moon in Starz’ American Gods series

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

The long-awaited Starz series American Gods, based on the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, is getting a cast worthy of Mount Olympus. Ian McShane and Ricky Whittle will be playing Mr. Wednesday and Shadow Moon, but now they are joined by Emily Browning as Laura Moon, the wife of Shadow.

The 27-year-old Australian actress got her break as Violet Baudelaire in 2004's A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, later appearing in SUCKER PUNCH, THE UNINVITED, and POMPEII. Most recently she can be seen in LEGEND alongside Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy as twin gangsters. She's had a solid string of decent flicks, but it will be fun to see her every week instead of once every few years.

Says Neil Gaiman:

I've been fascinated by Emily Browning since A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. She has a challenge ahead of her: Laura is a tricky character, and the Laura on the screen is even trickier and more dangerous than the one on the page. She's going to have a wonderful time bringing Laura to life.

American Gods is about:

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.  

American Gods is being overseen by Hannibal's Bryan Fuller and ALIEN: COVENANT co-writer Michael Green. David Slade (Hannibal) is directing the pilot.