shadow - antonio banderas
wednesday - anthony hopkins
mr. nancy - i cant think of his name, but the guy who plays john coffey in the green mile.
laura moon - ???
czernoberg - arnold shwarznegger

OK, so I re-did mine...

SHADOW: Benicio del Toro
WEDNESDAY: Donald Sutherland
SAM: Keira Knightley (in "Jacket" mode)
BUFFALO: James Earl Jones
NANCY: Morgan Freeman
LAURA: Rachel Weisz
ALLISON: Evan Rachel Wood
MULLIGAN: Billy Crudup
LOKI: Cillian Murphy
TOWN/WOOD/STONE: Matt McColm
EASTER: Halle Berry (hey, she did win an Oscar)
TECH: Adam Brody (if you dropped the fat thing)
MEDIA: Jennifer Jason Leigh
MAGUERITE: No idea
MR. IBIS: Anthony Hopkins
MR. JAQUEL: No idea
HINZELMANN: Ian McKellen (if he can manage an American accent)

Um, so....yeah. Oh, and:

DIRECTOR: David Croenenbeerg

I don't know why that never occured to me before!

i'll make up my own list soon enough, but i just want to point out that some of your castings of shadow just seem wrong on an appearance level. he's Big. it's emphasized, it's an important part to his character, banderas and del toro are not big. if he got the character right i think diesel would be a good choice not only for his size but also because of his ambiguous ethnic appearance. my two cents.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by IWannaBeADecemberist:
OK, so I re-did mine...

SHADOW: Benicio del Toro
WEDNESDAY: Donald Sutherland



I didn't have the patience to wade through 16 pages of postings but the size of Vin Diesel's fan base amazes me. A performer - maybe; an actor - no. As I read AG I saw Goren V****** from ER. (My apologies for not getting his name.)Tall, dark, sad, beautiful. Everything a shadow ought to be. And for Wednesday, Albert Finney. Isn't it obvious?

all of these suggestions are ridiculous....shadow shouldnt look like some underwear model...he just got out of prison! most of the guys listed would have been somebodys bitch. Shadow's a tough guy...i dont really know of an actor that looks like how i can describe him...but way more like Tom Sizemore than freakin vin diesel...thats terrible.

edit: i also agree albert finney would be a great wednesday

I kind of imagined Wednesday as Alan Ford ( bricktop in snatch) but he wouldnt have a cockney accent of course. as was said before Scatman Crothers (as he was in the made for tv version of the Shining) wouldhave been a PERFECT mr nancy and thats how i imagined it as i read the book. if they actually made the film i'd hope that they would make it less hollywood garbage and use lesser known actors... Patricia Arquette would be good for laura though, not perfect but it would work. im sure they'd use Peter Stormare for czernoberg because any russian or germanesque character in a hollywood movie is played by him, and whoever said Arnold Schwarzenegger: no... i cant even fathom why you think that would be good.

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Shadow: Karl Urban


Laura: Jennifer Connelly


Wednesday: Rip Torn


Loki: Gary Oldman


Mad Sweeney: Steve Buscemi


Sam: Alison Lohman


Czernobog: Brian Cox


Mr. Nancy: Morgan Freeman


Mr. Ibis: Giancarlo Esposito (Own Aedh for this one.)


Mr. Jacquel: Robert Guillaume (See above.)


Hinzelmann: Terry O Quinn


Tech Boy: Philip Seymour Hoffman


Chad Mulligan: John C. Reilly


The Buffalo Man: Michael Clarke Duncan

*chalks cue*

Here are my nominees for the cast so far (sorry if some are repeated, i havent read the whole blummin' thread!)

Shadow - Matthew Fox (just want to see this guy naked and tied to a tree im afraid)


Wednesday - Harvey Keitel ( u know it makes sense)



Zorya Polunochnaya - Meryl Streep




Mad Sweeney - Paul Bettany


or

Pete Doherty

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what about gerard butler as shadow? he's great and 6'2" and not really well known. he's also muscular. and rugged for just out of prison.

Y'all are f***ing brilliant on all these suggestions. The board needs to be the task force for casting!

Well, one exception: I think Easter needs to be both more zaftig and (if possible) even sweeter than Halle B.... Luscious & fertile.

After reading this thread, I sat down and thought about each character and who in Hollywood best fit into my mental picture of each. This is what I came up with:

Shadow - The Rock (dark, muscular, tall)
Wednesday - Brendan Gleeson
Mad Sweeney - Jake Busey
Czernobog - Omar Shariff
Laura - Jennifer Connelly
Nancy - Robert Guillaume
Loki - Phillip Seymour Hoffman (tho I think he looks a bit too soft)
Sam - Rachel Leigh Cook
Hinzelmann - Ian Holm
Ibis- Ben Kingsly
Mulligan - Nathan Fillion

Don't crucify me for my first post, as these are the actors/actresses that come closest to my vision of the charactors.

that is my 2 cents worth, anyway.

Hi, I'm new.

I have been wanting to direct my own adaptation of American Gods for a while. I think Gary Busey would make a groovy Wednesday if he would grow a beard. He's got that 'humourless grin' that Gaiman describes down pat. He's tall, "irascible", a little cracked in the head, and would look really compelling with two different-colored eyes. Plus, his voice is so used-up, breathy and purposeful.

For the rest of the characters? I don't know. You'd need to find a really good actor to play as Shadow. He's such an introspective character that you'd need someone who can effectively convey what's going on inside Shadow's head.

I would be really sparing with the "Hollywood" stars in an adaptation of this film. The book is so hardcore that you'd need to use new actors to give the film that alien, inhospitable feel that the book has.

I would most definitely cast Tera Patrick as Bilquis, though. Hahah.

Hi, I'm new too.
Nice name Raindog

Here's how I imagined the characters:

Shadow - Tim Commerford (bassist from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave)
Wednesday - Tom Cruise (as he looks in Collateral)
Loki - the way he's drawn in the Sandman
Sam - someone I know who isn't famous and isn't an actor
Easter - Marylin Monroe

Hmm. Now that I think about it, this list is pretty useless for casting an actual film, heh.

I agree with whoever said Cillian Murphy as Loki, he would be perfect.

Marilyn would be *perfect* as Easter...if she were still alive. Her equivalents these days are mostly too hard-edged & bony. Zaftig is the word... maybe Kate Winslet or Helena Bonham Carter (blonded up)?

Here's the casting list I came up with originally, though I have to admit that many of the choices mentioned in this thread are way better than mine!

Shadow not really Vin Diesel, but I can see it work.
LowKey/Loki Ron Perlman
Laura Moon Hope Sandoval (Singer of Band "Mazzy Star")
Wednesday Hugh Laurie
Bilquis Kristen Johnson
Mad Sweeney John Goodman
Techno Kid The guy from that famous Fatboy Slim video
Czernbog/Bielbog someone the likes of Jerry Stiller
Mr. Nancy someone the likes of Cab Calloway
The forgettable god Christopher Walken
Sam Black Crow Janeanne Garofallo
Mr. Ibis someone the likes of Ben Kingsley
Officer Chad Mulligan the Cop from Scream Arquette???
Horus Jeremy Irons
Johnny Appleseed Willem Dafoe
Eostre Kimberly J. Brown
Essie Tregowan Kathryn Hahn
Mr.Stone or Mr.Wood Henry Rollins
Mr.Town Tim Curry (would be a good Mad Sweeney, too!)

And of course Tori Amos would have to be in it as well. Maybe as The Morrigan or for the Delirium Cameo?

Heres the dealio....mmmmkay?!

Mr. Wednesday - GODDAMNED Sam Elliott! or Chris Plummer
Shadow - The Rock
Mr. Anansi - Ben Vereen/Bill Cobbs/Tim Reid
Czernobog - Gary Oldman
Mr. World/Loki - David Caruso/Tim Roth
Mad Sweeney - Robert Carlyle
Mr. Ibis - Ben Kingsley
Mr. Jaquel - Laurence Fishburn
Agents - Tommy Lee Jones
Sam - Rachel Leigh Cooke
Chad Mulligan: Matthew Mcaunaghey
Laura - Helena Bonham Carter
Easter - Kirstin Dunst
Tech Boy - Jonah Hill
Bast - Stacey Dash
Horus-Brad Pitt

I have always thought John Hurt would play a good Wednesday, Laura would be Famke Janssen and my Shadow would be Christian Bale.

I couldn't help but imagine Wednesday looking like my Ecology teacher.
0_o
All that needs to be done is pluck his eye out. ^________-

I've always dreamed of some day directing American Gods myself. LOL. That is, after I get more experience in the whole film industry.

But for now...I'd love to see it directed by either of these three people:

Christopher Nolan: After watching The Prestige, he would be PERFECT. Would play really well with the "twist" ending.
Terry Gilliam: 12 Monkey's, Brothers Grimm...he knows how to handle the sort of wierd genre and has a nice moody look.
Alex Proyas: The Crow is the most PERFECT comic book adaptation in my eyes. The mood, look, the actors...perfect. The question isn't why? It's Why Not?

My cast:
Shadow: I like the Vin Diesel thing. He needs something to challenge his acting again. I loved him in Pitch Black and Saving Private Ryan but after that...it's all the same. This movie could put him back on the map.
BUT...I'd like to see a little more "down to earth" type guy play Shadow and I can't get out of my head that the guy who plays MICHAEL in Desperate Housewives would be a GREAT Shadow. He seems to play the character well and it seems that the mood for Shadow as well as Michael is about the same. Beef him up a little and there you go.
But if Christian Bale or Hugh Jackman want to bulk up a bit and play Shadow, I have no problem with it.

Mr. Wednesday: I have one big choice. Jack Nicholson. NOW...before I get the snickers and odd looks, let me explain. Wednesday is very charming, has that creepy smile, and is that old bastard you love to hate who can get any young girl he wants. Sound familiar? Wednesday is JACK, baby! Yeah yeah yeah...Ian McCellan this, Anthony Hopkins that...let's face it. These gods are in America and have adopted American style. They haven't been to their native countries because they are already there. Jack is the American Odin no matter how you look at it.

Loki: I pictured someone a little younger and a little more lean and punkish but can still look dangerous at the same time. Ben Foster fits the bill.

Mr. Nancy: Morgan Freeman. Nuff Said.

Hinzelmann: I like the pick of Terry O'Quinn. Perfect casting.

Czernobog: I like Brian Cox. I think he could play our butcher. But...ehh...I'm more of a fan of Hugo Weaving. I can see either or.

Mad Sweeney: Steve Buscemi is a good choice. For some reason, I kept getting images of a skinnier, dirtier (if you can imagine), more white trash version of Colin Farrell playing him. But Steve Buscemi is good too.

That's all I gots for now.

In American Gods the Movie, I´d like to see the following:

Loki: Steve Buscemi (he should be kinda odd-looking and "not quite alright in the head looking" (being a trickster who is known to get himself and others in trouble just cos he had an impulse)).

Mad Sweeney: Crosby ( I think it is,at least he is one of "Stills, Nash and Crosby) with moustash and his hair standing on one side, in a too small, quite tight t-shirt)). Or, still better, Shane MacGowan of the Pogues, he would be purr-fect!

Wednesday: Dennis Hopper (!) in grey hair and a grey (Karl) Marx-beard.

Shadow: The guy who play "Jake the Muss (?) in "The Warriors Soul" (is it called that? Anyway it´s a great movie, probably the best to ever come out of NZ.

I´ll be back when I´ve given it some more thought.

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I don't know if he's come up. I'm new here and this an OLD thread. But I think Jeffrey Wright would make a great Shadow. And I do think that the Rock might have the subtlety. A toss up. Best would be a fabulous unknown.

Denis Leary would make a fabulous Mad Sweeney!

The Tim Roth idea for Loki is great.