STARZ and FreemantleMedia's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 2001 novel, American Gods, added another star to its lineup on Thursday. Emily Browning joins the American Gods cast as Laura Moon. Browning will portray the wife of protagonist Shadow Moon, played by Ricky Whittle.
The TV adaptation of American Gods spent the last five years in development hell. From 2011 until 2013, HBO was interested in bringing the novel to life on the small screen. When those plans fell through, FreemantleMedia took the helm. Showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green have been with the project since 2014, when STARZ also became involved.
Book nerds are already familiar with Browning, who starred as Violet Baudelaire in A Series of Unfortunate Events back in 2004. Gaiman also remembers, and says he's been "fascinated by Emily Browning since” the Lemony Snicket film adaptation first came out. Moviegoers will also recognize Browning for her roles in Sucker Punch and Legend.
Gaiman warns that, even with her demonstrable talents, Browning "has a challenge ahead of her." Why? Because "Laura is a tricky character, and the Laura on the screen is even trickier and more dangerous than the one on the page." Still, the American Gods author has faith that she'll pass muster: "She’s going to have a wonderful time bringing Laura to life."
