Ian McShane, the star of titles like HBO’s Deadwood (and soon to be seen on Game of Thrones), Lovejoy, Kung Fu Panda, Kings, Coraline, The Pillars of the Earth, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, John Wick, Ray Donovan, and more, has been tapped to take on the role of Mr. Wednesday in the Starz TV series adaptation of author Neil Gaiman‘s Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel American Gods.

McShane is the second major casting for the show, after the long-awaited casting of the main character Shadow Moon was announced at the end of January. The 100 star Ricky Whittle is set for that role.

The casting makes plenty of sense, as McShane has worked with both Starz on the miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, and co-showrunner Michael Green, who created Kings. Hannibal and the new Star Trek showrunner Bryan Fuller will also be a showrunner.

Of the casting announcement, Gaiman said:

American Gods tells the story of ex-convict Shadow Moon, who finds himself released from prison early and recruited by a con man named Mr. Wednesday to be his bodyguard as he travels around the country meeting various acquaintances while a war between the old gods and the new gods—gods born out of people’s obsessions with technology and celebrity and so on—is brewing.

The pilot episode is set to be directed by David Slade, who previously directed Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night, and episodes of Hannibal and Powers. Production is set to begin next month.

You can find much more on American Gods right here.

[Source: Live Feed]