Shadow- Eric Bana/John Cusack



Wednesday- Donald Sutherland


Laura- Jennifer Connolly/Julianne Moore



Mad Sweeney- Steve Buscemi


Loki- Willem DaFoe


Odin- Christopher Lee/Max Von Sydow



Sam- Alison Lohman


Mr. Town/Mr. Stone/etc- Hugo Weaving


Tech Boy- Jack Osbourne

"Shadow- Eric Bana/John Cusack"
So you completely missed the fact that Shadow is a BIG sumbitch????

"Sam- Alison Lohman"
SOLD! Good call that!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ClintonHammond,

There is absolutely no question in my mind that Shadow has to be played by Vin Diesel. That hit me hard when I accidentally read the book out loud to my husband on our last road trip, and we hit the scene where he strides out into the battle field and proclaims "I was – I am – the son of Odin." I can't think of anyone else who feels more like the son of a Norse god and an African American woman.

I like Gina Torres for Bast. But I also want her to be Bilquist. Mr. Nancy . . . there's a part of me that wants Chris Rock in that role.

Here it is, my big cast list. I will politely limit my comments on other lists to saying that I agree with Mr. Gaiman when I say that Vin "Ziggy on Steroids) has no business playing Shadow.

Wednesday: Donald Sutherland http://www.briansmale.com/Images/donaldsutherland4-450.jpg (Can be menacing or meek, a con-man or saintly)

or Rip Torn (Neil Gaiman's own character model)

Shadow: Gerard Butler (6'2" big, but not muscle-bound, can carry the silent type, looks good beat-up)
or Clive Owen (Also 6'2", IF Gerard Butler can't do it)

Low Key: Tom Roth (From the dandy in Rob Roy to Loki...Easily)

Laura: Patricia Arquette (she could pull off the cold, dry, dead Laura and still be heartwarming)

Hinzelmann: George Murdock (Small, seemingly harmless, with the looks of the old-elks club-community eccentric-good fishing buddy-possible kobold-appearance)

Tech Boy: Seth Rogen http://media.mth.net/jimmy_fr/v3/images/series/annees_c..._300_210/s_rogen.jpg (can look young enough. Fat? Kind of. And he has good screen presence, if you've seen "The 40 Year Old Virgin, he played Cal)

Czernobog: Bob Hoskins (short, funny, stout but strong, and would be hillarious with a heavy Eastern-European accent accent)

The Zoryas; I have always imagined them as being varying in age from old to young, day to night respectively.
Polunochnaya: Tilda Swinton (Luminescent in a very ethereal lunar way)
Utrenyaya: Cate Blanchette (again, ethereal and luminescent)
Verchernyaya: Pam Ferris (cause I said so)

Mad Sweeney: [hotLink removed] http://tv.zap2it.com/photos/index/0,1237,zp_fromThumb%7C89383%7C86660,00.html
Donal Logue (Simply because I think he'd make a good leprechaun turned smack addict roadie and because I think Brendan Gleeson might be a bit too old)

Sam: Alison Lohman (I know what 19 year old UW-Madison boho-artists look like. I went to school there. Dye her hair and you got it nailed)

Mulligan: Michael Ontkean (Just looks the part)

Mr. Nancy: The inimitable Morgan Freeman (Simply because Ossie Davis has passed on, [RIP] and Morgan could do it charmingly)

Ibis: Giancarlo esposito (Nerd him up a bit, he'll do fine)

Jacquel: Robert Guillaume (He's classy, but he has a humanity, strength, and sense of humor that would fit.)

Bast: Patricia Velasquez (I don't know why, probably because she played an Egyptian before)

Bilquis: Regina King ( I like her.)

Mama-ji: Tharini Mudaliar (I think she would make a beautiful Kali/ She was in the last Matrix movie)

Oestre: Mimi Kennedy (Total spring hippy earth goddess thing goin on)
or Joanna Lumley Joanna Lumly (C'mon, you'd LOVE to see that!)

Mr. Town: Kirk Baltz (You remember Marvin... cop that got his ear cut off in Reservoir Dogs?)
Mr. Stone: Vinnie Jones (Why not?)
Mr. Wood: Robert Patrick (T-1000 of The Terminator films)

The Norns: All three to be played by Betty White (its late and I'm getting punchy)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Aedh,

How about Jorge Garcia as The Tech Boy?

quote:

Originally posted by spam:
How about Jorge Garcia as The Tech Boy?

I haven't seen him act, but he looks like he could fit the part (no pun intended).

I haven't read American Gods in a while, but I remember making a movie poster for a book report in my English class in high school. There are two actors I'm quite sure I'd cast, namely Morgan Freeman as Nancy, hands down, especially for his work in Shawshank Redemption, and Gary Oldman as Low Key (Loki), mostly cause I always imagined Gary Oldman. As Laura, I'd cast Sean Young from Blade Runner, elegant, pale, very cold. As Shadow, I was kind of considering Ben Browder, but now am not too sure. As Czernobog, Peter Stormare from Fargo and Armageddon. And finally as Wednesday, Charles Dance, the bad guy from Last Action Hero. Bare in mind, this a year or so ago, so my choices may change next time I read it.

Inspired by the thread in the other Forum, I made my own possible Movie Poster with all the Characters and Actors listed I could imagine.

You can see it here:
http://chaosworks.org/art/gfx_americangods.jpg

Here are mine:

SHADOW: Viggo Mortensen (I mean, it was obvious from the start, wasn't it?) Back up: Billy Crudup.

WEDNESDAY: Whoever that one-eyed guy in "A History of Violence" was...Ed someone. (Not just because he looks good with one eye.) Backup: Brian Cox.

NANCY: Morgan Freeman (Duh.)

SAMANTHA BLACK CROW: Keira Knightley. (I know it sounds weird, but in "The Jacket" mode, it could work. She does a nice American accent and looks damn good in eyeliner.) Backup: Samantha Morton.

LAURA: Rachel Weisz. (She has the strongest will in Hollywood.) Backup: Holly Hunter.

ALLISON: Evan Rachel Wood. (Not really important, I just love Evan Rachel Wood.)

HINZELMANN: John Tuturro. (He's a good hick.)

MEDIA: Jennifer Jason Leigh. (Face it. She's perfect.)

TECH BOY: Jack Osbourne is a good one.

MR. TOWN: Matt McColm. (He's the perfect everyman.)

EOSTRE: I have no clue.

ZORYA P: Eva Green.

CZERZNOBOG: John Rhys-Davies.

I dunno who else.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: IWannaBeADecemberist,

Michael Wincott as Loki anyone?

I would be really interested to see Neil's casting list for a change

What about Brian Cox (Agamemnon in Troy, Stryker in X2) as Wednesday?

(Though he's been in pretty much everything lately, it seems...)

quote:

SHADOW: Viggo Mortensen

Too old... too skinny... too short...

SHADOW: Viggo Mortensen (I mean, it was obvious from the start, wasn't it?) Back up: Billy Crudup.

I am afraid neither of them qualify for a "Big fella". And I don't feel either of them has the requisite "darkness" that I would feel necessary for the part

WEDNESDAY: Whoever that one-eyed guy in "A History of Violence" was...Ed someone. (Not just because he looks good with one eye.) Backup: Brian Cox.

That would be Ed Harris, But I think I would prefer Brian Cox as Hinzelmann or as Czernobog.


CZERZNOBOG: John Rhys-Davies. You might have something there... makes me also think of Robbie Coltrane


Otherwise I quite like your list.

I hate it that people are picking "actors" like The Rock and Vin Diesal for Shadow, you might as well cast Mr. T.
The only talented actor that I can think of that fits Shadow's physical description is Liam Neeson, and I'm not going to even begin to say why he's not right for Shadow. My personal choice is Eric Bana and he's 6' 3".

quote:

Eric Bana and he's 6' 3"

And he's pasty white... and too poovy in the heels...

Saw Dwayne Johnson on The Daily Show last night... he'd be a perfect Shadow, but I think he's a little too old...

Jason Momoa might have to get the role...

Looking back.. John Cusack as Shadow? So you didn't read the book at all??

Alison Lohman is also way too old now to play Sam...

quote:

Originally posted by ClintonHammond:
Looking back.. John Cusack as Shadow? So you didn't read the book at all??

Alison Lohman is also way too old now to play Sam...

I believe Alison Lohman is 26, anyway she filmed Matchstick Men a couple years back in which she played a teenager pretty well for being in her 20s.
John Cusack is 6'2½" and plays a good unconventional hero.

And please no more Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: spam,

quote:

John Cusack is 6'2½"

In Bizarro world maybe... You can't believe everything posted on the IMDB, spam... Heck... the IMDB says Harrison Ford is 6'... heh... I do agree John C'd be capable of the acting aspect of Shadow, but he'd NEVER pull off the "Man, yer a big sumbitch" angle.... and it's said SO many times in the book, you know it's gotta be very important to the story...

Have you looked at Jason Momoa? I think he'd be great... and as a young actor, he could use the 'break'.... You'd have to have good star draw around him though...

And well, my opinion remains... The 'Hollywood" Shadow would be played by Dwayne... plain and simple... no one else comes close to the physicality... and I'm not convinced he's half as 'dumb' as he lets people think he is... anyone who can keep up with John Stewert can't be thick as a brick...

,-)

Given that Gaiman himself says Vin Diesel is Shadow, I'm a little surprised to see him compared to Mr. T . . . who would, in fairness, be a fascinating choice.

I'm all for race blind casting in most circumstancs, but I think something would really be lost if Shadow was played by some white guy. The story requires at least racial ambiguity.