A British Jewish writer is to see his bestselling novel adapted into a series for the edgy American television channel HBO.
Neil Gaiman's 2001 book, American Gods, is a gothic tale of a modern-day America populated by mysterious deities and spirits.
The writer, 50, revealed the plans for a series during a talk at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and said he intended to write the pilot episode as well as some others.
HBO is known for its high-quality series, including True Blood, Sex and the City and The Sopranos.
Born in Hampshire, Mr Gaiman grew up in a house filled with books in East Grinstead; he commuted to north London for Sunday barmitzvah lessons.
Mr Gaiman, who now lives in the US, has enjoyed critical success, with praise for his fiction and his graphic novel series The Sandman.
He has seen his work make it to the big screen before, with film versions of his books Stardust and Coraline, and been awarded both the Carnegie and the Newbery Medal.
