American Gods is the upcoming television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, and with the show premiering in 2017, brand new images and information about what viewers can expect has been trickling out from time to time.
Credit: Starz
This time round, a first look image of Vulcan; the God of Guns has been revealed, with the character a brand new addition to the story.
Co-showrunner Michael Green says of the TV original character: “He’s a brand new addition who came from an experience Neil had. He was going through a small town in Alabama where he saw a statue of Vulcan. It was a steel town and, as he told the story, there was a factory that had a series of accidents where people were killed on the job and they kept happening because an actuarial had done the numbers and realised that it was cheaper to pay out the damages to the families of people who lost people, rather than to shut down the factory long enough to repair, and that occurred to him as modern a definition of sacrifice as there might be.”
Vulcan is the ancient God of Fire and Metalworking, but hoped to increase his popularity in the American Gods world by rebranding himself as the God of Guns.
Co-showrunner Bryan Fuller added: “Vulcan’s the God of the volcano and the forge, and what is the modern-day extrapolation of what that God could do? We started talking about America’s obsession with guns and gun control and, really, if you’re holding a gun in your hand, it’s a mini volcano, and perhaps, through this character, there’s a conversation to be had.”
L.A. Law and Psych actor Corbin Bernsen will be stepping into the new role, alongside such faces including Ricky Whittle, Gillian Anderson, Ian McShane and other huge talents.
American Gods will premiere on Starz in the US at some point in 2017.