Gillian Anderson joins the cast of American Gods

Gillian Anderson has joined the cast of the much anticipated television adaptation of the best selling novel, American Gods.

The novel follows an ex-convict who discovers that gods and mythological beings actually exist after meeting the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. He soon learns that the old gods are at war with the new, who have been created by America's obsession with celebrity and technology.

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Gillian has been cast as Media

The Fall actress will play Media, a god of media who obtains power from those who worship their televisions, computers and phones.

The Neil Gaiman fantasy novel is hugely popular among fans, and they have been quick to praise the casting decision, with one tweeting: "I was going to watch anyway, now I know I have too," while another wrote: "She already *is* a goddess, so they were going for verisimilitude."

The show, which will be produced by Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller, has already cast Deadwood actor Ian McShane as Mr Wednesday, and The 100 star Ricky Whittle as Shadow.

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The actress recently reprised her role as Agent Scully alongside her co-star, David Duchovny

Gillian, who recently reprised her role as Dana Scully in The X-Files, has joined in on an ongoing online campaign to have her play the next James Bond. She recently jokily posted a fan photo of herself on a James Bond poster, writing: "It's Bond. Jane Bond. Thanks for all the votes! (And sorry, don't know who made poster but I love it!) #NextBond."

The star's devoted fan base has even began a petition to have the actress play the first female Bond, which so far has almost 19,000 votes. Fans explained why they want Gillian to take over the role, with one commenting on the petition: "Gillian will make a killer bond. 007 is a bit stale: get a backbone and take this chance! It's the smart thing to do," while another wrote: "She is so inspirational and is one of the most talented actresses ever."