When news broke that Bryan Fuller and Michael Green wouldn't be showrunning American Gods Season 2 , millions of fans suddenly cried out in terror, horrified by the possibility of the critically-acclaimed show being derailed just as it was building momentum.



I'm already showrunning GOOD OMENS and I won't be physically showrunning two shows. But I plan to work really closely with the new showrunner, and to help plot and guide and build American Gods, just as I did when Bryan & Michael came on as showrunners. — Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 12, 2018

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But if the beloved executive producers have to be replaced, it seems like production studio Fremantle Media has found the only acceptable alternative: Author Neil Gaiman, who created the world of American Gods in 2001.According to Starz CEO Chris Albrecht, Gaiman will be "taking more of a central role and moving forward into a more traditional showrunner function" for Season 2, and the search is currently underway for a showrunning partner with more experience in TV production to help him handle the adaptation process. "It seems like we're finally on a path to get this on track to a definite Season 2," he said.Gaiman, for his part, downplayed that description of his duties, tweeting , "We are in the process of finding a new showrunner (and very close to an announcement)," and noting that his duties as showrunner on Amazon's Good Omens mean that his dance card is pretty full.Albrecht also insisted that Fuller and Green "were not fired, nor did they quit," and that the hope is that both will still be involved in some capacity in Season 2, depending on their availability."[They] will be involved as much as they can be -- it’s all little bit up in the air as to what their role will be," Albrecht said. Because the show is produced by Fremantle rather than in-house by Starz, Albrecht said that the premium network is not in direct negotiations with Fuller and Green, but that they're "very committed to American Gods," and that "there’s a very good relationship between Fremantle and Michael and Bryan."When asked why, as Albrecht put it, "we’re having some trouble getting the second season underway," he conceded that "budget is always a factor, although Fremantle has been terrific about being willing to invest," but seemed to hint that production delays were perhaps more of a concern, since a break of 18 months to two years between seasons "is not ideal.""I think this is about, 'is there a vision that can be executed on a regular basis? Fremantle needs to know there’s a formula where they can get this show on, we’d like to have that as well," he added, noting that because Fuller and Green have other production commitments -- Fuller is reportedly attached to Apple's reboot of Amazing Stories and is also working on Anne Rice's adaptation of The Vampire Chronicles , while Green has ongoing feature work -- it was possible that their other work "did not allow them to focus in a way that Fremantle wanted."In response to reports that Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth would not be returning for Season 2, Albrecht said, " Gillian Anderson seems to be leaving everything , but this is not a surprise. We knew that she was not necessarily going to be able to come back, but Kristin Chenoweth as far as we all know is still committed to the show, obviously depending on her availability."

Laura Prudom is the Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow her on Twitter at @ LauinLA