‘American Gods’ Finds Season 2 Showrunner, But Tosses Bryan Fuller Scripts
Well, you can thank the Gods for at least some good news. Starz has officially recruited Star Trek: Discovery alum Jesse Alexander to showrun American Gods Season 2 after Bryan Fuller’s exit, but the eventual return may be more of a reboot than we’d like.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Alexander’s appointment, noting that he’d worked with Fuller on Hannibal and Star Trek: Discovery, and will now share showrunning duties with author Neil Gaiman. Surprisingly, the piece also alleges that Gaiman was “unhappy with the direction Fuller and Green planned to take season two as their vision was not a straight adaptation of his source material.” Said the author:
I’m thrilled that Jesse is [the] showrunner. He loves and understands the book, he loves and understands the TV series and he’s dedicated to making future seasons of American Gods as good and as beautiful and as unique as they can be. Shadow’s journey is going to take him, and Mr. Wednesday, and the New Gods and the Old, to some very strange places. I’m glad that we, and the cast and crew, will have Jesse shepherding us on the way.
That said, it seems Alexander will throw out the first six scripts Fuller and Green had written for the second season, and may even ignore the cliffhanger posed by the Season 1 finale. Given that star Gillian Anderson declared she wouldn’t return in her role as Media (other cast members are similarly on the fence), it’s worth wondering if additional departures or discards are in store.
THR also notes that where previously American Gods Season 2 was eyed for January 2019, both the showrunner search and Alexander tossing out the first six scripts will likely push the release date significantly further, if not shorten the episode order. It’s perhaps no wonder that multiple “established showrunners” are said to have declined offers to take over the series.
Stay tuned for more on American Gods Season 2 if … ahem, as they arrive.
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