The Starz upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" finally finds its "Jesus." The addition of the religious icon could be even more controversial.

When the news broke that Neil Gaiman's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel is going to be picked up by "Starz," fans of the source material are excited, and yet wonder how faithful the adaptation will be to the book.

That question was answered a few months ago when news broke that actress Yetide Badaki is cast to play the role of the Goddess Bilquis. This sparks further the point of how far can showrunners take this, as Bilquis' introduction within the storyline is very graphic. When showrunners had been asked about this, they just confirmed they are doing it just like what is described in Gaiman's novel.

Now, in a report by DenOfGeek, the casting of another popular character is now locked in. "Lost" actor Jeremy Davies is cast to play the role of Jesus Christ. Jesus' character is described as being brought back to life on the feast of Ostara, and that Jesus has always been eager to share the Easter holiday with the ancient goddess. While the Son of God will be devastated once he learns that Ostara harbors some deeply buried hatred over the issue.

The inclusion of Bilquis and Jesus seems like they are giving fans what they would want. According to Inverse, the casting of a mainstream religious figure that plays such a minor role shows that showrunners, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green have a good understanding of the book Both producers are willing to look at every part of the novel, no matter how small it may be, to even further the story. "American Gods" will be an even more religious fantasy juggernaut with the addition of Jesus' star power.

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Topics Starz