Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel American Gods is going to be adapted for the small screen by FremantleMedia after cable company HBO dropped the series last November. The adaptation of Gaiman's fourth prose novel was in limbo for some time but it now looks like American Gods will hit the small screen after all, along with another of his novels, Anansi Boys.

Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman Will See Two More Of His Books Taken To The Screen.

 FremantleMedia, the company behind reality shows such as American Idol, announced the exciting news today: "Gaiman, the creator of the celebrated Sandman comic series, and the author of bestselling novels The Graveyard Book, Coraline and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, will executive produce the series along with FremantleMedia," via The Guardian.

Gaiman is best known for his iconic Sandman comic, which is being made into a film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as his novel Stardust, which was turned into a movie starring Claire Danes and Michelle Pfeiffer.

American Gods, a Nebula and Hugo award-winning blend of Americana, mythology and fantasy, revolves around the premise that gods and mythological creatures, such as dwarves, elves and leprechauns, exist because people believe in them. The novel shows that the power of these creatures is waning in favour of new gods, reflecting America's obsession with celebrity and drugs.

Neil Gaiman Stardust
The Author Spoke Of His Excitement Towards The Planned Adaptations.

Gaiman addressed the news on his website today, writing "As to where you will be able to see it, who is going to be in it, who will be writing or show-running, none of these things have yet been settled. But it already looks like it's going to be a smoother run developing it than it had at HBO, so I am very pleased."

As for the failed HBO deal, Gaiman had the following to say: "HBO had an option on American Gods for several years. It went through three different pilot scripts. HBO has a limited number of slots and, after a while, passed it to Cinemax, who are in the HBO family, who decided eventually they didn't want to do it, and the option expired, which unfortunately meant we couldn't work with Tom Hanks' production company Playtone any longer, as they are exclusive to HBO."

The author also announced that his 2005 fantasy novel Anansi Boys will also make its way on to television. "Other TV news also came to fruition today, although I do not have anywhere to link you to, so you will have to take my word for it: Anansi Boys is going to be made into a TV miniseries in the UK, by RED, for the BBC," Gaiman said.

The work of fantasy fiction, which features the sons of the African spider-god, Anansi, who also appears in American Gods, will become a BBC mini-series produced by Red, a production company responsible for some of the biggest UK TV hits of recent years including Last Tango in Halifax, Scott and Bailey, and Queer as Folk.

"I'm really thrilled about both of these things. Fremantle has the harder task, as they are going to have to open up American Gods into something bigger than the book," the 53 year-old English novelist said.