The urban fantasy novel series "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman has been picked up by Starz. The company will produce and air the North American rights to the serialized TV version of the stories, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The award-winning 2001 novel has been translated into 30 languages.

The basic premise of the stories centers around a war that is brewing between old gods and new ones. The old gods have basically lost believers that once revered them from biblical and old world views. They have lost them to a new pantheon of gods who have based their power of the modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs, mirroring a social crisis that has been inherent to society for decades now.

Shadow Moon, the bodyguard of a con-man who is also an older god, is the protagonist in the series. Moon is also an ex-con, so the stories feature a depth that seems to employ an anti-hero theme, which audiences will have a love-hate relationship with.

The con-man is Mr. Wednesday, and he embarks on an intercontinental mission to rouse troops that can help him battle with the emerging deities.

Showrunners and writers include Bryan Fuller ("Hannibal") and Michael Green ("Heroes"). They will also share executive producer credits on the series along with FremantleMedia North America.

Starz CEO Chris Albrecht spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming project that was originally passed on by premium cable service HBO.

"Starz is committed to bring 'American Gods' to its legions of fans," Albrecht told THR. "With our partners at FremantleMedia and with Bryan, Michael and Neil guiding the project, we hope to create a series that honors the book and does right by the fans, who have been casting it in their minds for years. The search for Shadow begins today!"

"American Gods" will join the roster with other powerhouse dramas like "Outlander" and "Da Vinci's Demons" on Starz.

HitFix reports that production on the series will start once they find the right actor to play the lead role on the show.