AceShowbiz -

"American Gods" is making its way to the small screen. Starz has given a straight-to-series order to the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's contemporary fantasy novel that has won Hugo and Nebula Awards.

The project was developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, who will serve as executive producers and showrunners for the series. Gaiman is also on board as executive producer for the upcoming series.

Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said, "With our partners at FremantleMedia and with Bryan, Michael and Neil guiding the project, we hope to create a series that honors the book and does right by the fans, who have been casting it in their minds for years. The search for Shadow begins today!"

"I am thrilled, scared, delighted, nervous and a ball of glorious anticipation," Gaiman added. "The team that is going to bring the world of 'American Gods' to the screen has been assembled like the master criminals in a caper movie: I'm relieved and confident that my baby is in good hands. Now we finally move to the exciting business that fans have been doing for the last dozen years: casting our Shadow, our Wednesday, our Laura..."

The novel that blends Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology centers on Shadow Moon, an ex-con who becomes bodyguard for Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods who travels across America to gather American manifestations of the Old Gods of ancient mythology to prepare for a battle against the New American Gods.

As the search for the right actor to play Shadow Moon is on, Starz lets fans follow the process on social media using #CastingShadow.