In a bit of surprising news, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green are leaving Starz’s American Gods as the series’ showrunners. They will no longer be part of the show going forward despite its active development for the second season.
American Gods premiered on Starz earlier this Spring and earned a quick renewal after it became a ratings hit. The reason why Fuller and Green have exited the series hasn’t been confirmed yet, though Deadline reports it is because of the series’ budget. According to them, the first season’s budget had grown to Game of Thrones levels and Dante di Lorento, the new chief of American Gods‘ producer FremantleMedia North America, wanted to cut the second season’s budget, leading to Fuller and Green’s departure.
Despite their exit, Fuller and Green have apparently written more than half the episodes for the 10-episode second season, which Starz is aiming for a mid-2018 premiere. American Gods author Neil Gaiman, who also produces the series, may step in as a co-showrunner, but his involvement with his Good Omens adaptation at Amazon may prevent him from fulfilling that role while a new showrunner is found.
American Gods is based on Gaiman’s 2001 fantasy novel about a war brewing between the old, ancient gods and the new, younger gods of the modern world. The series stars Ian McShane and Ricky Whittle in the lead roles as well as Emily Browning, Pablo Schreiber, Gillian Anderson, Crispin Glover, Orlando Jones, Peter Stormare and Bruce Langely.
