American Gods Sidelines New Showrunner Following Season 2 Delays

September 12, 2018

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Starz and Fremantle have pushed American Gods executive producer Jesse Alexander to the side as the series’ showrunner. Alexander was hired earlier this year following the resignation of original showrunners and co-creators Michael Green and Bryan Fuller.

THR reports that Alexander was asked a month ago to stop working on the troubled series, including participating in any other areas of production or post-production. He has also reportedly turned in multiple drafts for the season two finale which were ultimately rejected by Starz and Fremantle executives.

Furthermore, production on the series’ second season is currently on hiatus and is reportedly six weeks behind schedule. THR notes that cast members haven’t received their scripts yet for the the show’s season two finale and have been working on re-shoots and pick-ups for earlier episodes instead of filming the finale. Because of all the delays, the drama will most likely not return until 2019, a full two years after its first season.

“American Gods has a deep and complex mythology and a unique visual style that makes this series one of the most ambitious productions on television, and one that we remain committed to delivering for our audience,” a spokesperson for Starz said in a statement. “We are confident that when the fans get their first look at season two in just a few weeks at New York Comic-Con, they will agree it was worth the wait.”

Fremantle added “We stand by our network partner’s statement and share in their confidence that season two will exceed expectations. Our cast and crew are extremely passionate about the show and have delivered something that remains loyal to the source material and true to the creative vision of Neil Gaiman. We think fans will feel the same when we share a first look at New York Comic-Con in a few weeks.”

The second season of the acclaimed Neil Gaiman adaptation will see Mr. World (Crispin Glover, Back to the Future) task Mr. Town with tracking down Shadow (Ricky Whittle, The 100) and finding out what he knows about Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane, Deadwood)’s plan. Town’s methods are brutally efficient and may help him get to the root of his and World’s curious questions.

American Gods stars Ricky Whittle (The 100, Austenland) as Shadow Moon, Ian McShane (Deadwood, Ray Donovan) as Mr. Wednesday, Emily Browning (Sucker Punch, Legend) as Laura Moon, and Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black) as Mad Sweeney. Other cast members include Yetide Badaki (Aquarius, Masters of Sex) as Bilquis, Bruce Langley (Deadly Waters) as Technical Boy, Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) as Mr. World, and Orlando Jones (Madiba, Sleepy Hollow) as Mr. Nancy.