Marilyn Manson Cast in American Gods Season 3

Starz American Gods is trying to up the ante for season 3, and the show has tapped a high-profile name to help snag some attention. That name is none other than Marilyn Manson, as the goth-rocker continues to make strides in his acting career. Manson will reportedly be playing Johan Wengren, the lead singer of a Viking death metal band called Blood Death. Of course, this being American Gods, the band is more than what they initially seem; Deadline reports that, "Wengren and Blood Death are also a source of power for the Ian McShane-portrayed Mr. Wednesday in his war with the New Gods." Manson has earned major cred for himself in the land of acclaimed cable series: he famously played Aryan gang convict Ron Tully in Sons of Anarchy, and the rocker background makes him a shoe-in for this American Gods role.

American Gods is undergoing a major transition heading into season 3. After a promising start, season 2 of the series (based on the acclaimed Neil Gaiman book) floundered when Heroes alum Jesse Alexander took over as showrunner, replacing original showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green. Needless to say, Alexander was far from being an equal substitution for the likes of Fuller; Starz has brought in Charles Eglee (Dexter, Walking Dead) to serve as showrunner on season 3 - a move that Neil Gaiman himself has endorsed:

"I'm thrilled American Gods has been renewed for a third season, and even more thrilled that I'm getting to work on it with Chic Eglee," said Gaiman. "Chic is the best partner-in-crime. We've been working for weeks now on the shape of the season and I'm delighted that he gets to carry the American Gods torch on to glory. Thank you to Fremantle, Starz and Amazon for having faith in the series, to Bryan, Michael and Jesse for bringing it this far, to all the cast and crew, and most of all to the viewers. It's their love of the characters that took us to this point, and will take us on to the next chapter."

That's a nice signal of hope from Gaiman, but the reality is that season 3 could very well be the end for American Gods as a series. As star Ian McShane has recently stated, it seems as though the story is coming to the end of its course:

"...I'm wondering how long they can draw out the book," McShane said in a recent interview. "Will it end with Season 3, or will there be a Season 4, before Shadow takes wing on his own?"

American Gods Season 2 is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Season 3 doesn't yet have an air date.