Neil Gaiman and ‘American Gods’ have found their TV Mr. Wednesday in Ian McShane

Starz’s “American Gods” has found its Mr. Wednesday, and he’s a Neil Gaiman veteran.

British actor Ian McShane, best known for his portrayal of iconic, morally ambiguous villain Al Swearengen in HBO’s “Deadwood,” has joined the cast of the upcoming “American Gods” as Mr. Wednesday, a charismatic con man who couples with protagonist Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) on a journey across America.

Gaiman’s novel takes place in the present day and focuses on a power struggle between the old gods and the new, with Mr. Wednesday, the old Norse god Odin, trying to drum up support from his fellow old gods. Shadow Moon acts as his hired muscle.

“When you write a beloved character (beloved with, or despite, or because of all his faults) like Mr. Wednesday, you get to watch the Internet trying to cast the role. I’ve seen a hundred names suggested, but few make me grin like Ian McShane does,” Gaiman said in a statement announcing the news on Wednesday. “Yesterday was Super Tuesday. Today is Wonderful Wednesday.”

McShane lent his voice to Mr. Bobinsky, a blue-skinned former gymnast who lives above the eponymous lead character’s apartment in the 2009 animated film adaptation of Gaiman’s “Coraline.”

Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, joint showrunners for the series, echoed Gaiman’s feelings about the casting, saying, “Actor. Icon. And now god. It is a ... delight to be collaborating with the incomparable Ian McShane — again and for the first time — on a story about faith and belief, with the utmost faith and belief in Mr. McShane as our Mr. Wednesday. A wonderful Wednesday indeed.”

Filming on the upcoming series is scheduled to begin in April.

libby.hill@latimes.com

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