'American Gods' gives classic art a tech twist, because it already knows us way too well
In American Gods, belief is power.
In the new Starz series, based on the bestselling novel by Neil Gaiman, a war is brewing between the Old Gods and the New, with one unfortunate man, ex-con Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), caught in the middle. The traditional Old Gods, with mythological roots from around the world, fear irrelevance as their believers die off or are seduced by the shiny New Gods, like Media (Gillian Anderson) and Technical Boy (Bruce Langley), who represent our obsessions with technology, celebrity, money and pop culture.
According to the world of American Gods, if you're fixated on your smartphone or, say, a TV series adaptation of your favorite book (maybe even one executive produced by Hannibal's Bryan Fuller and Logan screenwriter Michael Green, who can say?), you give those ideas power, strengthening the New Gods who feed off our attention while the religious deities of old grow increasingly weak and forgotten.
Perhaps the perfect way to sum up the genius of the new series, which premieres April 30, is through Starz's new promotional campaign, which takes classic pieces of American art and gives them a techy twist to illustrate our 21st century priorities -- just in time for #TechTuesday.
Mashable has an exclusive sneak peek at three new images, based on Grant Wood's American Gothic, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, and Norman Rockwell's Cousin Reginald Plays Tickly Bender.
It's a little too real, but that's what makes it kind of perfect.
