Orlando Jones makes an unhappy exit from American Gods

If I were a higher-up at Starz or production company Fremantle Media, I would be wondering if making a TV series adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel American Gods is worth all the headaches that come with it. First season 1 showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green left the show over creative and budgetary issues, and some members of the cast followed them out the door. Then things went wrong between replacement showrunner Jesse Alexander and his collaborators during the making of season 2. Now there's more behind the scenes drama as season 3 heads into production under the guidance of new showrunner Charles "Chic" Eglee.

Orlando Jones, who played the character Mr. Nancy on the first two seasons, has revealed that he will not be in season 3, saying he has been "fired" and "screwed over".

Speaking with Variety, Jones said that nothing had been written for Mr. Nancy when he reported to set for season 2, so he was tasked with writing for his own character. He was made a consulting producer on the second season, was asked to write for other characters of color on the show, and Gaiman also asked him to complile a "character bible" for Mr. Nancy. Jones was under the impression that he would be working in the same capacity on season 3 – playing Mr. Nancy, serving as a consulting producer, and doing some writing. Instead, he won't be involved at all, and Jones said he was told that the new showrunner feels that Mr. Nancy's "angry gets shit done" approach is "the wrong message for black America".

Jones says he was in negotiations to return for season 3 until August, but then things got quiet and he got a call in September informing him that the show was "going in a different creative direction".

Fremantle's official stance on Jones' absence from season 3 is this: 

The storylines of American Gods have continually shifted and evolved to reflect the complex mythology of the source material. Mr. Jones’ option was not picked up because Mr. Nancy, among other characters, is not featured in the portion of the book we are focusing on within season three. Several new characters, many of which have already been announced, will be introduced into Shadow Moon’s world that will further contribute to the show’s legacy as one of the most diverse series on television."

Jones' response: 

To now pretend that this is just about some creative direction is really insulting. My hope is that nobody finds himself in a scenario where they go into a show, and this is what they deal with: a 19-month hiatus taking you out of work, and then to be fired summarily at the last minute."

The cast of American Gods season 3 is expected to include Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon, Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday, Emily Browning as Laura Moon, Crispin Glover as Mr. World, Bruce Langley as the Technical Boy, Pablo Schreiber as Mad Sweeney, Yetide Badaki as Bilquis, Mousa Kraish as The Jinn, Omid Abtahi as Salim, Demore Barnes as Mr. Ibis, and Marilyn Manson as the bloodthirsty Johan Wengren, "lead singer of the Viking death metal band Blood Death."

The series centers on a conflict between the Old Gods and the New Gods.