No, we've got a good sized European population here too. You should check out the World's End some time.

To all who think Shadow is bald, he's not. There's a line in the book that says he wets his hair and combs it back (pg 35). And where does it say he's black? Dark skinned, yes. But that doesn't mean black. He could be Italian or Spanish or something else altogether.
As for an actor to play the part in a movie, none come to mind, but after seeing the name on here so much, I pulled Vin Diesel's pic up. NOT!

I can see Vin Deisel as Shadow. The skin tone, the build. I know the hair is important to a lot of people, but I personally have an easier time picturing him in that role than anyone else.

Techno Kid and Jack Black could click, but I really don't see it in mine own mind's eye without a lot of makeup to make him look fatter, greasier, and mucho pimply.

I also like the idea of using the agents from The Matrix as Mr. Town, Mr. Stone, and Mr. Wood. It's familiar, but you still don't recognize them. Just the way such government guys should be.

The bank scene, where Wednesday dressed up in the security uniform while Shadow waited across the street at a payphone, was what put an actor with the face of the all-father. I know it might not fit some of the more serious parts, but right then I thought of Brian Dennehey. (I know that's not spelled right, so someone please correct me.) He's also got the right build and age for Wednesday.

What also fits for me is Juliane Moore (Hannibal's Clarissa Starling) as Laura. I watched Hannibal five minutes after finishing The Silence of the Lambs, and the first thing I noticed about the changing of actresses between the two movies was just how pale Juliane was. My exact words were, "She's like a walking corpse." And what is Laura? "She's, like, a walking corpse."

Brad Pitt as Horus on the tree does fit, when I think about it. When reading, I imagined someone much younger and with a much smaller frame. But the suggestion and the referral to 12 Monkeys just clicked for me.

I know that having singers and songstresses taking on acting roles has been a mixed bag for as long as Hollywood's been letting them do it. Some have been excellent (Bon Jovi, for instance), and some have been, to put it nicely, impossibly large stinking loads of dog shit (Shaquille O'Neil finds himself near the top of the list). I have no problem seeing Tori Amos taking on a small- to medium-sized role. It'd probably be fun for her, a total fanboy/fangirl high for a few people, and an interesting factoid that Coca-Cola will quiz you on when you just happen to get your date into the theater twenty minutes before the picture starts.

Casting directors always have the hardest jobs in Hollywood. They have to take fictional people and make the ral live actors look like that. They are lucky if half the people who plop down their cash to see a movie agree with their choices, and big fans of any specific author or book are never, ever, ever happy.

Um.. how about gabriel byrne as wednesday?
I don't know about steve buscemi as mad sweeney.. i kinda picture sweeny as redheaded and barrel chest and burly.. like alot of irishmen i've met...

Since when does hair colour matter? They have people for that.
As to Shadow's hair, while it has been established that he does have some, I shouldn't think it'd be very long, at least in the beginning of the book, simply because he'd been in prison. Don't prisoners have to have short hair? Of course, the book covers a long period, and it would grow out, but I don't see him as having very long hair anyway. *shrug*

wouldn't anthony hopkins be great as Wednesday?

I can certainly see him as Ted Brautigan, though i would never in a millions years of thought of that.

I think Shadow would be best played by Ving Rhames...I have thoughts on others but thought I would put this out there for comment

Okay here is my casting for "American Gods" movie...

First thing...Shadow I saw 2 choices...the Rock or Brendan Frasier....

Mr. Wednesday - Dean Stockwell Al from "Quantum Leap". But instead of the glass eye...I would just give him an eye patch with the "tree emblem " on it. I don't see how you can use a glass eye. ( I was thinking Peter Falk, but he is a bit old.)

Laura - Gillian Anderson in a black wig.

Sam Black Crow - Lacey Chabert ("Party of 5"...before you dismiss this...check out "Not Another Teen Movie") or even Rachel Leigh Cooke.

Mr. Ibis - John DeLancie (Q from "Star Trek Fame")

Who was the god in lakeland? Hinzelman I think...I saw him as the old guy from "Road Trip" (remember the overly aroused Grandpa of Tom Green)

Mr. Jackal - Lurch from "The Addams Family" movies.

Mr. Nancy - I kept thinking "Scatman CRothers" but alas he is dead...I say someone black and thin...Morgan Freeman and Ossie Davis are not what I pictured. If you could age Spike Lee about 50 years you would have it.

The Lakeland Cop - Ed Harris

Shadow's Lakeland neighbor - the mother from Gilmore Girls (the mother of the teenage girl I mean).

Easter - Annette O'toole (keeping with the WB theme)

Internet god - Chunk from "Goonies" or Sean Astin from "Goonies"

Mad Sweeney - Liam Neesom...check him out in that ghost movie with Daryl Hannah and Multi Academy Award Winner Steve Guttenburg.

The Russian Hammer God - I saw Abe Vigoda. Both of those guys struck (no pun intended) me as being like in their mid-80's.

Mr. Town - Bruce Davison from "X-men"

Mr. World / Loki - Steve Guttenberg...just so he gets pierced with the spear from the tree ...no really...Tim Roth is good...

Well thanks for listening.

Later!
-Spidey 74

quote:

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Originally posted by SaintNightWalker:


-=- Saint NightWalker -=-
Patron Saint of the Sinning

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You aren't the only one. In fact I dug out this thread just because I wanted to make the comment that I think Billy Zane would be perfect for the role. I saw some of Zoolander the other day and Billy had a cameo in it, as soon as I saw him I was like "holy crap! that's shadow!" He matched the picture I had in my head perfectly without me even realizing it till then.
And Hopkins would make a great Wednesday, he's the only actor I could see pulling off Wednesday's menacing smile without looking like an ass.

This is mostly 'oh my god NO!'s since I cant cast in my head that well, but Anthony Hopkins should never be let near anything you value. The man has built a career on never changing his facil expression. wednesday played like Hannibal Lecter, Stevens, etc? ::runs screaming at the thought:: Not Catherine Zeta jones for Bast. Please. Not for anything. It needs a reasonably dark skinned prefrably non-American or americanised actress....

Hugh Jackman would be cool but for the height thing...
And I back whoever said James Marsters for Loki. And Brian Blessed as Wednesday, although Billy Connlly would be good, provided they could detach him from the purple goatee...

Here is what I imagine it should be:

Shadow: Hugh Jackman

Wednesday: Anthony Hopkins

Laura: Kelly Preston

Czernobog: Christopher Walken (I agree with that one)

Sam: Claire Danes

Mr. Nancy: The grandfather from Cosby Show (also the voice of Panthro on Thundercats)

Easter: Susan Sarandon

Chad Mulligan: Matthew Mcaunaghey (I think he would be perfect)

Magurite Olsen: Anette Benning

Hinzellman: Sean Connery

Mad Sweeney: The guy from Lock Stock and From Hell with the red hair, I don't know his name.

Loki: Sean Patrick Flannery

Odin from the postscript: Get an old unknown Norse actor.

I would have to say that this movie should, nay MUST be directed by DAVID FINCHER. No one else could possibly pull it off! David Fincher has the right mindset to pull off a flick like this. All you need to do is watch Fight Club, or Se7en or The Game to figure that out!


Later

What is the obsession with Anthony Hopkins? Wednesday needs to be big and cool and actually move his face... Sorry. I hate Anthony hopkins 'acting' style, cause he doesn't actually do anything much different in each film he's in. the drama student in me is taking over....

Personally, I think Anthony Hopkins is one of the most overrated actors ever. The last really good character I saw him play was in "Lion In Winter".

And when someone makes a statement like "Blah Blah is the only direct/actor/actress that could ever do this; must do this; no one else is competent," I want to wretch. The David Fincher comment only being the latest of them.

I love Fincher's work, myself. "Fight Club" is one of my top five favourite films. Se7en is an amazing piece of work. Fincher as director for something as subtle as AG... no way. Just to toss out an unexpected name for directors, I'd say... off the wall... the Cohen Brothers.

And YES, Shadow is mulatto! And he is NOT bald!

Fincher is too dark and cool and grungy for AG...

quote:

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Originally posted by Tanis Fane:
And YES, Shadow is mulatto! And he is NOT bald!
[/B]

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I thought it said somewhere that his mother was white, too.

quote:

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Originally posted by brodybanks:
I thought it said somewhere that his mother was white, too.

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On page 370 of the hb edition I have in front of me, it states about Shadow "...his cream-and-coffee skin".

About his mother: "...what she had thought was just another sickle-cell crisis..."

From that, it could be clearly reasoned, that she is black and he is a mullato.

I do like the way Gaiman skirted the issue entirely and left it to the reader to do the work.

i don't mind that gaiman leaves things up to readers imagination cause then it takes out meaningless details. stephen king said in his "on writing" book that that is a good thing for an author to do and i take it to heart.

No no no to Vin Diesel playing the part of shadow!! Please!!! While he may physically look suitable for the part I just don't
see how he can portray Shadow's personality.
Vin Diesel is way too macho for a subtle part like this.

It needs someone who can play withdrawn, conflicted and, well, shadowy. Vin Diesel will turn it into an action movie.

I second whoever it was that named Benicio Tel Toro. He has the skill to portray the personality of Shadow, not just the looks.

Colour me weird, but I thought Steve Buscemi would make a smashing Loki, or even someone like Chris Walken. As for Shadow, I'm undecided for now, just as long as he's big...

Umm, how about Bruce Campbell, as Shadow, I mean? Certainly, not the first actor I'd think of in the role, but with a little weight-training, I think he'd fit the part. Bruce seems to do well as long-suffering characters, and despite his B-movie status, is a surprisingly good little actor. Just a thought, don't be too hard on me.