American Gods author Neil Gaiman on show's cancellation: "It’s definitely not dead"

Ian McShane and Ricky Whittle in American Gods — (Image credit: IMDb)

American Gods author and television series executive producer Neil Gaiman has responded to the series' cancellation, giving fans hope that there could potentially be more to come.

Gaiman – who wrote the book on which the series is based – responded to a tweet asking if there is a possibility of ending the American Gods story elsewhere. “It’s definitely not dead,” he answered.

It's definitely not dead. I'm grateful to the team at @Starz for the American Gods journey so far. Fremantle (who make AG) are committed to finishing the story that began in episode 1, and right now we're all just waiting to see which way forward is best, and who it'll be with. https://t.co/Yw90PvIvGfMarch 31, 2021

Starz recently confirmed that the fantastical drama, starring Ricky Whittle and Ian McShane, would not be picked up for a fourth season. The news came just more than a week after its season 3 finale. Gaiman’s comments following the cancellation make the possibility for further exploration of American Gods, potentially with an event series or TV movie, more of a reality.

American Gods was developed for television by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green and debuted on Starz in April 2017. The series follows Shadow (Whittle), a recently released ex-convict who connects with a mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday (McShane), thereby knowing more about his own life and past. The series’ original cast also included Orlando Jones, Emily Browning, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley, Crispin Glover, Kahyun Kim, Omid Abtahi, Mousa Kraish, and Pablo Schreiber.

Fans of Gaiman's written works won't have to wait long for another series adaptation as he is currently at work on the Netflix adaptation of his comic book series, The Sandman. The new show will star Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, and Sanjeev Bhaskar, among others.

The Sandman commenced filming on October 15, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the shoot was limited to the United Kingdom. Production for the first season is expected to last until June 2021. There is no further news on the release date for the series, but you can check out the current best Netflix shows for now.

Stephanie is a comic book historian and pop culture critic for publications including SYFYFANGRRLS, Marvel, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, Den of Geek, and Rotten Tomatoes. Stephanie is also a comic creator with three ongoing webcomics, Parenthood Activate!, But What If Though?, and Living Heroes. She made her Marvel debut with a short story featuring Monica Rambeau in Marvel’s Voices: Legacy. She recently made her DC Comics debut in Wonder Woman Black and Gold #2 and is co-writing the Nubia and the Amazons miniseries.