HBO Performs Rumor Control On American Gods

[Spinozaad]

Thats easy its a real place http://www.thehouseontherock.com/HOTR_Attraction_PhotoGalleryShow.htm . If you look through you can see many of things described in the book.

It's a real place, but I doubt the actual ride doesn't involve transcending the mortal realm to a dream world where Gods take their animalistic or essential shapes.

Or the trippy bit on Yggdrasil...

Aye. I think that might get some flak, though. Considering how idiots might read some religious commentary into it...

 

[Realitycrash]

Why is it that HBO always produce all the things which are awesome?

 

[Tdc2182]

I just looked up the Wiki for it, and I am very impressed.

This soundds pretty interesting.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

I can only hope. Remember when they abandoned Carnivale after just two seasons?

 

[Albino Boo]

I can only hope. Remember when they abandoned Carnivale after just two seasons?

It got cancelled due the fact that season 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers, 2/3 that of season 1. Each episode cost $4 million to make making it just to expensive to continue with.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

I can only hope. Remember when they abandoned Carnivale after just two seasons?

It got cancelled due the fact that season 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers, 2/3 that of season 1. Each episode cost $4 million to make making it just to expensive to continue with.

Yeah well isn't that the problem with companies like HBO? It's not that it was too expensive, they just didn't make the kind of profit they wanted. Then when the writer tries to continue the series as graphic novels, he can't because HBO has the rights and doesn't do shit with it.

 

[Albino Boo]

I can only hope. Remember when they abandoned Carnivale after just two seasons?

It got cancelled due the fact that season 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers, 2/3 that of season 1. Each episode cost $4 million to make making it just to expensive to continue with.

Yeah well isn't that the problem with companies like HBO? It's not that it was too expensive, they just didn't make the kind of profit they wanted. Then when the writer tries to continue the series as graphic novels, he can't because HBO has the rights and doesn't do shit with it.

I'm sorry I couldn't read your post over the mindless chanting of 4 legs good 2 legs bad. They made the show at lose in season 2 and if they don't make profit they can't make any shows. He can do a graphic novel but he would have to pay HBO to use the rights so the writer would make less money. Oh look, guess what, the writer is driven by the profit motive as well, who'd of thought. I strongly suggest you that you grow up and work out that without companies making profits governments would have massively less money to spend on the really important things like health and pensions. To put it simply for the hard of thinking, less profits = less tax = smaller pensions and less health care.

 

[Gralian]

I've never read American Gods, or even any of Gaiman's stuff, but i must admit - initial glance at the title had me thinking of an entirely different context. A more contemporary "American God", the almighty dollar. I pictured the title 'American Gods' to be a reference to corporate businessmen, shrewd laywers and shady under-the-table deals, the kind of things that make or break transnational corporations and even nations. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and their many similar contemporaries are the Gods of today, after all.

It's good to see more of a focus on fantasy TV shows though. Until Game of Thrones (which i never actually watched either), we've only had endless torrents of various crime drama, documentary or reality TV. I'd always assumed this was down to fantasy stuff being too expensive to produce and sci-fi being too 90's counter-culture. Though the fact they're not exactly churning it out would imply there's more than a fistful of greens behind producing it, something which may not be entirely profitable. Particularly when you get just as satisfactory results from the aforementioned trite on regular TV.

 

[likalaruku]

People still watch HBO?

 

[Jamous]

...I want this. And I want it done well. Now don't fuck it up, people. Or I'll find you. And I'll bleed in your eyes.

 

[vansau]

People still watch HBO?

Did you not see how we were posting weekly summaries of Game of Thrones?

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

To put it simply for the hard of thinking, less profits = less tax = smaller pensions and less health care.

What a dummy! Our government doesn't pay for our healthcare!

"Oooh. I just made myself feel bad."

I've got a terrible love/hate relationship with shows like Carnivale. I hate them for striking out so defiantly against the norm that they are inevitably doomed to cancellation, and I love them for the very same reason.

(Even though they clearly tried to pander to the "sex rules" demographic by focusing with unnecessary vigor on the ultimately pointless peep-show family in Season 2.)

I think American Gods is trippy enough, and (more importantly/unfortunately) erotic enough, to rope in the water cooler morons. Hopefully they'll mix enough of the actual character development and mythology in there with the smut to make it worth watching.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

I can only hope. Remember when they abandoned Carnivale after just two seasons?

It got cancelled due the fact that season 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers, 2/3 that of season 1. Each episode cost $4 million to make making it just to expensive to continue with.

Yeah well isn't that the problem with companies like HBO? It's not that it was too expensive, they just didn't make the kind of profit they wanted. Then when the writer tries to continue the series as graphic novels, he can't because HBO has the rights and doesn't do shit with it.

I'm sorry I couldn't read your post over the mindless chanting of 4 legs good 2 legs bad. They made the show at lose in season 2 and if they don't make profit they can't make any shows. He can do a graphic novel but he would have to pay HBO to use the rights so the writer would make less money. Oh look, guess what, the writer is driven by the profit motive as well, who'd of thought. I strongly suggest you that you grow up and work out that without companies making profits governments would have massively less money to spend on the really important things like health and pensions. To put it simply for the hard of thinking, less profits = less tax = smaller pensions and less health care.

The writer wants to continue his story, which took him 12 years to write. He plain can't, not because he has to pay but because Hbo won't let him have the rights. Don't assume...

 

[Droppa Deuce]

HBO almost always treat their shows with respect, this being no exception.

Well said. That's why I think they are respectfully leavin American Gods the fuck alone.

Love the book, love Gaiman, but it is not written for the screen. Maybe Neil could adapt it for the screen but it would be so abstract and weird once all the crazy stuff kicks off.

There are elements of Twin Peaks in the book, but the vivid imagery is really in its best medium in written form. Maybe a comic cadaptation would be a good start.

Game of Thrones looks epic, the books are epic and the translation to screen seems...safer.

I'd like to see Stephen King's Dark Tower books on screen next, whether as HBO or a series of movies. But again, these books will not be simple to translate to screen.

I don't mind waiting for American Gods or the Dark Tower books, as ling as the source material is respected and the right decisions are made. If it turns out that its' best to not televise it, so be it!

P.S. If you haven't read American Gods, treat yourselves are get a copy Preferably the unabridged prefered Author's text.

 

[Albino Boo]

I can only hope. Remember when they abandoned Carnivale after just two seasons?

It got cancelled due the fact that season 2 averaged 1.7 million viewers, 2/3 that of season 1. Each episode cost $4 million to make making it just to expensive to continue with.

Yeah well isn't that the problem with companies like HBO? It's not that it was too expensive, they just didn't make the kind of profit they wanted. Then when the writer tries to continue the series as graphic novels, he can't because HBO has the rights and doesn't do shit with it.

I'm sorry I couldn't read your post over the mindless chanting of 4 legs good 2 legs bad. They made the show at lose in season 2 and if they don't make profit they can't make any shows. He can do a graphic novel but he would have to pay HBO to use the rights so the writer would make less money. Oh look, guess what, the writer is driven by the profit motive as well, who'd of thought. I strongly suggest you that you grow up and work out that without companies making profits governments would have massively less money to spend on the really important things like health and pensions. To put it simply for the hard of thinking, less profits = less tax = smaller pensions and less health care.

The writer wants to continue his story, which took him 12 years to write. He plain can't, not because he has to pay but because Hbo won't let him have the rights. Don't assume...

So after spending at least $104 million dollars on it they are entailed to nothing in your world. You are as economically illiterate as those tea party idiots, your entire standard of living is based on companies making a profit. Yet you seam think its a bad idea, talk about biting the hand that feeds you. He spent 12 years writing because nobody thought it would make any money, and you now what, they are right, it didn't. HBO wasted $104 million dollars on it for which, in your little world, they should get nothing for. I bet your bottom dollar if they writer went to HBO and said I want write a graphic novel and I will pay you $4miilon for it they would say fine off you go. But guess what he wont do that because after the artists, publishers and retailers have taken their cut it would leave the writer cents. Or in your world do artists, publishers and retailers have to work for free as well.

In the real world you don't get something for nothing, HBO are entitled to expect after spending over $100 million dollars a return on that money. Its not as though they didn't pay the author for writer the show in first place. Yet you expect after paying and giving the idea international coverage that would make a graphic novel a seller they should give away any chance of a profit. When you sell someone a car you don't get drive it when its parked

 

[Turigamot]

HBO almost always treat their shows with respect, this being no exception.

Well said. That's why I think they are respectfully leavin American Gods the fuck alone.

Love the book, love Gaiman, but it is not written for the screen. Maybe Neil could adapt it for the screen but it would be so abstract and weird once all the crazy stuff kicks off.

There are elements of Twin Peaks in the book, but the vivid imagery is really in its best medium in written form. Maybe a comic cadaptation would be a good start.

Game of Thrones looks epic, the books are epic and the translation to screen seems...safer.

I'd like to see Stephen King's Dark Tower books on screen next, whether as HBO or a series of movies. But again, these books will not be simple to translate to screen.

I don't mind waiting for American Gods or the Dark Tower books, as ling as the source material is respected and the right decisions are made. If it turns out that its' best to not televise it, so be it!

P.S. If you haven't read American Gods, treat yourselves are get a copy Preferably the unabridged prefered Author's text.

They are already bringing the Dark Tower to the screen. The first book will be brought to the big screen and directed by Ron Howard, and then a miniseries will follow. After that, who knows?

 

[KingofallCosmos]

snip

I'm not that interested in economics. I just find it sad that certain productions which are generally liked don't get finished or realized at all because of economics. I'm know a lot of artists would rather just have their ideas realized than making profit.

And stop telling me to grow up. It's just my two cents.

 

[ace_of_something]

Who the hell would they get to play Shadow? Vaguely ethnic looking, huge, yet still clearly Scandinavian.

HBO almost always treat their shows with respect, this being no exception.

I see you said 'ALMOST' which is good because otherwise I would gnash my teeth and wail at the heavens for the loss of my beloved [a href=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319969/]Carnivàle [/a]

 

[Tarkand]

Even as a Neil Gaiman fanboy, I consider 'American Gods' to be one of the finest books (not just 'one of the finest fantasy books', but all genres lumped together!) ever written. The story is absolutely magnificent.

And I have to say, with Game of Thrones HBO proved to me that they can transfer an amazing story to the small screen, while staying faithful to the source material and only changing things required to the medium.

I'm hopeful. Although it's impossible to put all of American Gods into one season, and they'd need a big ass budget to do justice to it, considering all those dream scenes and surreal experiences. I mean... House on the Rock anyone?

Hmm, I suppose we're all entitled to our opinion.

While I loved the concept and idea of American Gods, the story is DREADFULLY slow paced and Shadow is a very boring and uninteresting protagonist - Gaiman made him a simple, quiet, introverted guy who doesn't ask much questions and just let life push him around... it's actually one of the thing he needs to go over in order to finish the story. Stuff happens to him that would make any other person go 'Wait? What? Hold on one minute, wtf?' and he basically rolls with it. Pretty much all the other characters are more interesting than Shadow is... the problem is, we get rather long scenes where Shadow is by himself, and those just seem to drag on.

Yes, I understand that is exactly the kind of person he needed to be for the story to work... but you still end up with a very slow paced 'road trip story' where very little happens and when it does happen, there is no real explanation or exposition because the main character doesn't care to ask for it. He does get more interesting, more 'alive' after his bit on the Tree, but that doesn't change the fact that he was boring for a good 4/5th of the book.

I mean, there are scenes in there where all that is happening is Shadow driving across the United States and describing the little town he drives past and how he ate a good apple pie at a truck stop... if you cut through those by showing a 2 minutes clip of him driving, you've just removed a good 100 pages from the book... if you dedicate an entire show (or more) to it, it will make for very boring TV. So what do you do?

This does make the reveal at the end that much more powerful - as we get so little exposition and so little action that when things finally start happening and making sense at the end, you're simply amazed - and I guess if you sit down and read the whole book in 1 shot, it might be better... but as I read it in increments, I really had to kick myself in the ass to pick up the book after putting it down.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

They're making a TV series about what is arguably the best book I've read in my life? If they don't cast Morgan Freeman as Mr. Nancy, a god-like opportunity is lost. (Is that a pun?)