Back in April we learned that plans were in the works to adapt the brilliant Neil Gaiman novel American Gods into a TV series for HBO … today we learn that it’s a done deal. Tom Hanks‘s production company, Playtone Productions, has acquired the rights to produce the novel for TV … but get this … it won’t merely be a single season show. The terms of the deal, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, state that American Gods will be an “open ended 6-season series” with each season being comprised of 10-12 episodes! Wow!!

Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions is set to produce a six-season, open-ended series, American Gods, for HBO, based on Neil Gaiman’s award-winning novel … The series-in-development, revolving around the question “are you a god if no one believes in you?” is executive produced by Goetzman and Hanks, with Bob Richardson, and Gaiman on board as executive producer and writer. Each of the six seasons will be of 10-12, hour-long episodes with a budget of around $35-40 million per season, targeted to debut on the cable powerhouse in 2013 at the earliest. Rich in religious folklore that spanned millennia and featuring deities from Greek and Nordic mythology, and even the Judeo-Christian monotheistic God making an appearance, in the contemporary U.S., American Gods will be effects-heavy to do justice to the awe-inspiring power of the divine beings. “There are some crazy things in there. We’ll probably be doing more effects in there than it’s been done on a television series,” said Goetzman.

OMG this is AMAZING NEWS!!! And the best news of all is that Gaiman himself will be an executive producer AND writer!! Holy shizz … this deal couldn’t be better! I was really anticipating a single season series when news of the American Gods deal was first reported … but a 6-season series over 6 years? I can’t even deal … this is very exciting! American Gods is one of my fave novels and Neil Gaiman is my FAVE contemporary author … this is just the best news ever. I strongly urge those of you who are unfamiliar with Neil Gaiman‘s work to read his books … why not start with the 10th anniversary edition of American Gods? It’s a brilliant read. And in just a couple of years, it’ll be a brilliant TV series.

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