Starz’s American Gods which ran by the production company Fremantle have reportedly axed executive producer and showrunner Jesse Alexander per a report by THR.
Alexander was hired this year following the resignation of original showrunners and co-creators Michael Green and Bryan Fuller. Though technically not fired, he was reportedly asked a month ago to stop working on the series after having turned in at least seven drafts for the season two finale which were ultimately rejected.
The report says Neil Gaiman was allegedly not happy with Fuller and Green’s scripts for the second season and ousted them, then pushed for Alexander to be the showrunner while also taking a more hands-on role in the creation of the series.
Alexander began filming the new season by starting fresh with circular filling the previously scripts. But those scripts are reported to be so weak, actors reportedly ended up changing much of their own dialogue while shooting on the set.
Production of the second season is currently on hiatus and is said to already be six weeks behind schedule.
Starz said in a statement:
“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. 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.”
After Alexander’s departure, producers tried to promote someone else to the role and the trade says that person left the production almost immediately after being elevated. Due to all the delays, the drama will most likely not return until well into 2019.
