I think Eddie Murphy brings too much baggage to the table. Besides, Danny John Jules just has a twinkle in his eye that says “mischievous” that Eddie Murphy lacks.
Agreed!
Ooh, I like that idea.
For me, Mr. Wednesday is Charles Dance. Yes, it’s probably because I saw him play a one-eyed guy in Last Action Hero around the time I read the book, but I think he’d be awesome.
I think Jackie Earle Haley would make a great Low-Key.
And yes, Shadow is mixed race. There’s even mention of his mother having sickle-cell anemia. Agreed that The Rock has the right look - I wonder if he could handle something more dramatic.
What about Laura Fraser for Laura? She played Lydia on Breaking Bad, and was so great at making me despise her. Plus she has already played a lead role in a Gaiman adaptation! (She was Door in Neverwhere.)
Shadow has grey eyes and straight black hair, if I recall correctly. A prison guard asks him if he’s a gypsy or a spic. I agree that the sickle cell reference seems a hint at his mother’s ancestry.
UPDATE: Neil Gaiman has just announced the casting of Ricky Whittle as Shadow.
So there you go. We’re off!
Lincoln from The 100?
I…I’m OK with this!
Agreed, for a body builder type, he’s one of the best actors in the 100- even if it’s mostly the strong, silent role.
(bolding mine)
Which is pretty much what Shadow is anyway.
It’s a good choice.
I haven’t seen The 100, but Mr Whittle certainly looks right to me. Any idea when we can expect the first episode?
Fine enough but I always imagined bulkier.
Thing is, in The 100, he was able to convey strong, silent *but intelligent *rather capably, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
Oh, and I’d like Ian McShane for Wednesday, please.
Ha! Just like the guys at the AV Club, I just did a “Fuck! Yeah!” fist-pump at my desk.
Excellent news, thanks for the update.
Now, Universe, I’d like world peace and a 12" penis.
Heh, that is awesome. He’s perfect for the role. It may as well have been written for him. 
That is awesome, I’m getting pretty excited about this adaptation now, especially since I fear Game of Thrones is going to be driven straight off a cliff this season.
Dunno if anyone still cares (or if everyone knows) but the full cast list according to the Wiki page is:
Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon
Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday
Emily Browning as Laura Moon
Pablo Schreiber as Mad Sweeney
Yetide Badaki as Bilquis
Bruce Langley as Technical Boy
Jonathan Tucker as Low Key Lyesmith
Crispin Glover as Mr. World
Cloris Leachman as Zorya Vechernyaya
Peter Stormare as Czernobog
Chris Obi as Mr. Jacquel
Mousa Kraish as the Jinn
Gillian Anderson as Media
Omid Abtahi as Salim
Orlando Jones as Mr. Nancy
Demore Barnes as Mr. Ibis
Dane Cook as Robbie
Kristin Chenoweth as Easter
A fair number of actors I don’t know in there, some inspired casting including Gillian Anderson, Cloris Leachman, Peter Stormare, Crispin Glover and (much as I wanted Danny John-Jules) Orlando Jones, and only one real WTF moment in Kristin Chenoweth. I mean, I love KC as much as the next guy but casting a tiny twiglet of a woman as a fertility goddess does not do it for me.
Normally I’d hate the inclusion of Dane Cook but given how little his character appears in the book - and why - I can live with it.
Yeah, I kind of had Eostre pictured as sort of a long haired blonde hippie with Christina Hendricks’ body, not scrawny little Kristin Chenoweth.
I am confused about something (spoilers?)
Why is their separate casting for Mr. World and Low Key?