STACK #153 Jul 2017

FEATURE DVD&BD

GET INTO GAIMAN

STARDUST The 2007 adaptation of Gaiman's fantasy favourite isn't short on stars, with Claire Danes, Peter O'Toole, Robert De Niro and Ricky Gervais bringing his beloved characters to life.

kind of happen to him and he gets carried away in the current.” Gaiman has a devoted following, but Whittle admits to having been unfamiliar with the author’s work prior to becoming involved in American Gods . “It wasn’t until I started auditioning that I realised how huge the name Neil Gaiman was. This is a great opportunity for me to learn about the rest of his stuff – Sandman and all these things that fans are passionate and crazy about.” The author was involved in the adaptation process from the very beginning, reveals

CORALINE Director Henry Selick and the stop-motion magic of Laika bring charm and chills to this animated version of the author's dark spin on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland .

are going to love. “There are enough tweaks, twists and turns to keep things fresh for them as well, he adds. “It’s dark but it’s funny. It’s a love story, a show about journeys, about finding ourselves and raising awareness of various topics and controversial issues, from gun control to religion and faith …” But will it feature the infamous sequence from the novel involving a goddess named Bilquis? “That scene is there,” he confirms, “and it’s a challenge to the viewer. If you can get past that scene, then you’re going to love this show. If it’s too much for you, you need to back away. Nothing’s too dark for this show.” Shadow and Wednesday’s journey is set to continue, with American Gods renewed for a second season – a mere two weeks after its premiere – and Whittle is confident it has the legs to run for three or four. “The book works as the perfect blueprint for a TV show. Neil Gaiman has many avenues he goes down but doesn’t necessarily follow them all the way through, and Bryan Fuller has said American Gods is basically ‘Avengers with gods.’ There’s so much potential.”

The book works as the perfect blueprint for a TV show

BEOWULF Gaiman's screenwriting skills (and Roger Avery's) transformed the epic Old English poem into a dynamic, MoCap fantasy- adventure for director Robert Zemeckis.

Whittle, who hung out with Gaiman at San Diego Comic-Con last year. “He’s got an incredible mind and it was a real honour to spend time together. He has such a fantastic sense of humour and he was very inspiring to be around. He’s very much a piece of this puzzle.” The actor also credits Fuller and Green with assembling one of the best ensemble casts he’s ever seen for a TV series, including Ian McShane, Crispin Glover, Peter Stomare, Gillian Anderson and Australia’s own Emily Browning. “The show follows Shadow and Mr. Wednesday’s journey, so I have plenty of scenes with Ian McShane, who I grew up watching in Lovejoy . Others know him from Deadwood , where he was an evil piece of work. He’s been in the industry for fifty years and has an incredible body of work, so he brings great experience and talent to the table. I feel very blessed that I get to work and learn from one of my idols.” Whittle promises the series will be a very faithful adaptation of Gaiman’s book that fans

DOCTOR WHO The Doctor's Wife , Gaiman's heartwarming ode to the Time Lord's relationship with his TARDIS, is one the best eps of the Matt Smith era. He also penned the Cyber-story Nightmare in Silver .

• American Gods is out on July 19.

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