Another cast member has been eliminated from Season 3 of “American Gods.”
Mousa Kraish, who played the Jinn on the Starz series, confirmed that he “wasn’t asked to come back” in a Twitter thread.
“I can confirm that I wasn’t asked to come back this season. It has been an honor to play the Jinn & live in his fiery eyed skin,” Kraish tweeted Sunday. “This character has introduced me to so much and I was proud to represent not just the Middle Eastern community in such a positive role you don’t normally see television but also the LGBTQ community that supported this character of color that you don’t see on television.”
Kraish did not give a reason as to why he was let go from the series, which is based on the book by Neil Gaiman — nor did he mention showrunner Charles “Chic” Eglee or actor Orlando Jones, the latter of whom opened up about being let go from the series last week. Starz and Fremantle did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment Monday.
In a video posted to Twitter Saturday, Jones said he was fired from the show on Sept. 10 because Eglee felt that Mr. Nancy sent the “wrong message for black America,” adding that he was treated as a “2nd class citizen” at production company Fremantle.
A spokesperson for “American Gods” gave a rebuttal to Jones’ comments in a statement Saturday.
“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,” said the spokesperson. “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.”
A spokesperson for Eglee said Jones’ comments are inaccurate on several levels, including but not limited to that Eglee was not born in Connecticut, as Jones’ video says.
“American Gods” is based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Season 3 “chronicles a war brewing between the Old Gods of ancient mythological roots and the New Gods of modern technology,” according to Starz. A premiere date for Season 3 has not yet been announced.