deerstalker
https://www.themarysue.com/american-gods-s2-new-showrunner/
After losing showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, allegedly over budget disputes, Starz’s American Gods has found a new showrunner: Jesse Alexander, who previously served as an executive producer on shows like Hannibal, Star Trek: Discovery, Heroes, Alias, and Lost. Alexander will work closely with Neil Gaiman, the author of the novel on which the show is based, to get the show going again.
“I’m thrilled that Jesse is showrunner,” Gaiman told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
It’s unclear how much Fuller and Green will be involved from this point, though Starz CEO Chris Albrecht had said they would be involved “as much as they can be” back in January. “They were not fired,” said Albrecht, “nor did they quit … [They] will be involved as much as they can be; it’s a little bit up in the air as to what their role will be … Everyone’s trying to work this out, everyone wants that to be a win-win for the people involved and the fans, everyone wants to keep as much of the team intact as possible.”
However, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR)‘s sources, much of Fuller and Green’s work won’t appear in the second season. At the time of their departure, Fuller and Green had reportedly written about half of the episodes for Season Two. Now, THR‘s sources said that, “Fremantle planned to toss those scripts and start from scratch with Alexander.” According to those same sources, Gaiman himself was also unhappy about Fuller and Green’s plans for the second season. “Gaiman is said to have wanted a showrunner to come in and produce a straight take on his novel (which would include ignoring the cliffhanger from season one),” wrote THR.
(As ever with reports from unnamed, “insider” sources, don’t take this as written in stone until you hear more.)
I hope these sources aren’t correct. Personally, I was excited for Season Two precisely because of some of those changes that Fuller and Green had made. The promise of new arcs and plot developments, particularly for Bilquis and other female characters who were shortchanged in the original novel, suggested that they were expanding the story into the sort of twistier, more expansive storytelling that TV is uniquely built for. I hope that, whatever direction Alexander and Gaiman may choose for the new season, they keep in mind all the potential of this show’s female characters—and that they serve that potential well.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter; image: Starz)
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—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
After losing showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, allegedly over budget disputes, Starz’s American Gods has found a new showrunner: Jesse Alexander, who previously served as an executive producer on shows like Hannibal, Star Trek: Discovery, Heroes, Alias, and Lost. Alexander will work closely with Neil Gaiman, the author of the novel on which the show is based, to get the show going again.
“I’m thrilled that Jesse is showrunner,” Gaiman told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
It’s unclear how much Fuller and Green will be involved from this point, though Starz CEO Chris Albrecht had said they would be involved “as much as they can be” back in January. “They were not fired,” said Albrecht, “nor did they quit … [They] will be involved as much as they can be; it’s a little bit up in the air as to what their role will be … Everyone’s trying to work this out, everyone wants that to be a win-win for the people involved and the fans, everyone wants to keep as much of the team intact as possible.”
However, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR)‘s sources, much of Fuller and Green’s work won’t appear in the second season. At the time of their departure, Fuller and Green had reportedly written about half of the episodes for Season Two. Now, THR‘s sources said that, “Fremantle planned to toss those scripts and start from scratch with Alexander.” According to those same sources, Gaiman himself was also unhappy about Fuller and Green’s plans for the second season. “Gaiman is said to have wanted a showrunner to come in and produce a straight take on his novel (which would include ignoring the cliffhanger from season one),” wrote THR.
(As ever with reports from unnamed, “insider” sources, don’t take this as written in stone until you hear more.)
I hope these sources aren’t correct. Personally, I was excited for Season Two precisely because of some of those changes that Fuller and Green had made. The promise of new arcs and plot developments, particularly for Bilquis and other female characters who were shortchanged in the original novel, suggested that they were expanding the story into the sort of twistier, more expansive storytelling that TV is uniquely built for. I hope that, whatever direction Alexander and Gaiman may choose for the new season, they keep in mind all the potential of this show’s female characters—and that they serve that potential well.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter; image: Starz)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
Check out the press release below regarding the latest release of graphic novel series, Rayven Choi. I was going to see about writing reviews for a few comics featuring black characters for Black History Month so this is very timely.
Comic Book World Marvels as a Black Shero Emerges with New Release in Graphic Novel Series, Rayven Choi
Rayven Choi book series creates a historic moment, just in time for Black History Month
LOS ANGELES, CA (January 31, 2018) – This February, Marvel’s “Black Panther” won’t be the only comic book hero making black history when award-winning writer, Shequeta L. Smith, releases the third installment of her female empowered graphic novel series, “Rayven Choi,” on February 7, 2018.
The graphic novel series is centered on the story of Rayven Choi, a young African-American woman who witnesses the murder of her parents by a hit man. Choi finds herself growing up in Seoul, Korea where she’s adopted and is influenced by the local culture. As an adult, Choi returns to America to uncover the truth behind her parents’ murders with the intention of finding the hit man who destroyed her family.
The first two books—published under the “Shero Comics” indie imprint— have quickly gained popularity amongst seasoned comic book fans. The books have been highlighted in several popular blogs, podcasts, and newspapers and were most notably featured in Publisher’s Weekly under the evocative headline: “The World Needs More Sheroes.”
Smith, who is based in Los Angeles, recently completed a lengthy, multi-city, “Year of Rayven Choi,” book tour in 2017 that included multiple stops on military bases. Following the release of Rayven Choi Chapter 3, Smith will be heading across the pond with her “Shero Universe” book tour that will feature stops in South Korea, Mexico, and Canada.
Additionally, all three books in the series have been translated into Spanish and Hangul (Korean), with upcoming scheduled releases in South Korea and Mexico – something that Smith hopes will help to further reach the international audience she’s been targeting.
“I created Rayven Choi with the idea that I could present a black female character that the entire world could relate to. So it’s extremely exciting to not only be releasing the third book in the series, but to personally introduce Rayven to the world with the Shero Universe book tour,” said Smith.
Rayven Choi Chapter 3 will be available as an eBook on Amazon Kindle, Comixology, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, and iTunes. Physical copies will be on sale on the Shero Comics webstore and at several brick and mortar stores in Los Angeles, Chicago, North Carolina, and Florida. For more information on Smith or the Rayven Choi series, please visit www.sherocomics.com
About Shequeta L. Smith
Shequeta L. Smith is a writer and filmmaker located in Los Angeles, California. Smith recently beat more than 5,000 entrants to become the only individual female director, of the Top 20 finalists, in HBO’s Project Greenlight. After her success with the project, Smith decided to adapt her award-winning screenplay, Rayven Choi, into a graphic novel series. Additionally, she shot an innovative 14-minute short film based on the first three books in the series. For more information on Shequeta L. Smith or Shero Comics, please visit www.sherocomics.com
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