Hollywood screenwriter and Clarkston native Bryan Fuller is no longer part of the upcoming TV series “Star Trek: Discovery.” Instead, his focus is now devoted to the upcoming Starz series, “American Gods.”
Fuller called his departure from Trek “bittersweet” in an interview with Newsweek magazine earlier this month. Fuller was showrunner for CBS’s latest reboot of the franchise. The title gave him overall creative authority and management responsibility. Fuller told Newsweek he stepped down because he couldn’t commit to the schedule laid out by the network.
The show was set to premiere in January but the date was back to May. At the same time Fuller was and remains a showrunner for “American Gods.”
“It felt like it was best for me to focus on landing the plane with ‘American Gods’ and making sure that was delivered in as elegant and sophisticated a fashion as I could possibly do,” Fuller told Newsweek.
“American Gods” is a Starz original series to premiere sometime in 2017. It is based on a best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman about how gods and mythological creatures exist because of people’s belief in them. As times change, old gods lose their power and new gods are formed. (See the First Look Trailer below)
The cast includes Ian McShane of “Deadwood” as Mr. Wednesday and Gillian Anderson as Media, among many others.
Fuller wrote the first two episodes of “Discovery” and charted a story arc for the 13-part first season. The show made headlines last summer when it was announced that Lt. Sulu’s character will be portrayed as a gay man, a decision George Takei, who played Sulu on the original TV series, called “really unfortunate,” despite being gay himself.
Fuller will retain an executive producer credit for “Discovery,” but whether the new showrunners will follow his vision for the series is up to them.
Fuller’s work, which includes “Hannibal” and “Dead Like Me,” is often dark and moody. The first trailer for “American Gods” appears to follow that vein.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyoXURn9oK0
