Gillian Anderson joins cast of American Gods

X-Files star Gillian Anderson is the latest addition to the cast of the upcoming television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.

Anderson will reunite with Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller for the Starz series, according to a report by E! Online. She will be playing the role of Media, a character described as:

“the mouthpiece for the New Gods, functioning as their public face and sales representative, by taking the form of various iconic celebrities. She lives off the attention and worship that people give to screens — to their laptops, their TVs, to their iPhones in their hands while they watch their TVs. Ever the perky spokesperson, and always in control, she spins stories in whatever direction best suits her.”

She will be joining an impressive and extensive cast which includes Ricky Whittle (The 100, Austenland) as Shadow Moon, Ian McShane (Deadwood, Ray Donovan) as Mr. Wednesday, Emily Browning (Sucker Punch, Legend) as Laura Moon, Sean Harris (The Borgias, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) as Mad Sweeney, Yetide Badaki (Aquarius, Masters of Sex) as Bilquis, Bruce Langley (Deadly Waters) as Technical Boy, Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) as Mr. World, Jonathan Tucker (Kingdom) as Low Key Lyesmith, Cloris Leachman (Malcom in The Middle, Raising Hope) as Zorya Vechernyaya, Peter Stormare (Fargo, Prison Break) as Czernobog, Chris Obi (Snow White and the Huntsman, The Counselor) as Anubis, and Mousa Kraish (Superbad, Fast & Furious) as The Jinn.

Shooting on the series has recently begun, as previously reported. Anderson’s recent projects include a reboot of the X-Files, the third season of Hannibal, the British thriller The Fall, and the BBC’s adaptation of Tolstoy’s War & Peace.

American Gods explores the idea that a pantheon of deities and mythological figures continues to exist because of people’s belief in them. And with the weakening of faith in ancient creatures, a new generation of gods has emerged.

Watch this space for more developments on American Gods.