WIll Janusz Kaminski Direct "American Gods"?

The rights to Neil Gaiman's beloved modern fantasy novel American Gods have been sold, according to the author. In an interview with Digital Spy, Gaiman  said "there is one cinematographer and director on board who has many, many Oscars and is, I think, a genius." I haven't found any other news on the deal, so who knows if it will actually happen and how many ducks are in a row. Getting such a film financed and released would be no small task.



And who is this mystery cinematographer-director? Let's break that statement down.

1) He said cinematographer first, so he must be successful in that capacity; I would rule out directors who have long-forgotten DP credits. Nor would it be someone like Steven Soderbergh, who has shot many of his own films. He would call Soderbergh a "director" or "filmmaker" only, I think.

2) Gaiman also mentions that this filmmaker spent many years pursuing the project, so I don't think that it is a very successful director. He also qualified his classification of the filmmaker as a genius, inserting a conspicuous "I think."

3) And then the kicker: the filmmaker has "many, many" Oscars. Gaiman doesn't strike me someone who wastes time following awards season closely (as I do). So he could be forgiven for exaggerating when referring to someone who has one or two out of many nominations, or has shot films that have won "many, many" awards.

My prediction: Janusz Kaminski, Spielberg's go-to cinematographer. He has won two Oscars- for Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. Those films took home a combined total of 12 trophies. I would call him a genius, as would many, but only for his work as a DP. He has directed two little-seen features and a TV episode (The Event). It would be a pleasant surprise to many if he helmed a blockbuster himself (or even a smaller, acclaimed film).

It has been speculated elsewhere in the blogosphere today that this is the case, so you'll have to take my word that I arrived at the conclusion independently. Commenters at bleedingcool.com and aintitcool.com are among those who are trumpeting the notion, while William Babini included Kaminski in a relatively long list at craveonline.com