In 2001, fantasy author Neil Gaiman released a novel called American Gods. It told the story of a convict named Shadow Moon, who takes on a job as a bodyguard for the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. Suddenly, Shadow learns that the old gods are among them, and losing their power as people stop believing. Instead, new gods based upon technology are appearing, and there is a war brewing between the old and the new. Suddenly. Shadow is caught in the middle of the war between the gods - one he might be more connected to than he realizes.

American Gods was well received and won a number of awards, including the Hugo and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 2002 - and now, it's coming to the Starz network. Starring Ricky Wittle as Shadow and Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday, American Gods premieres on Starz in April. Along with Wittle and McShane, the cast includes Cloris Leachman, Gillian Anderson, Crispin Glover, Kristen Chenoweth, Dane Cook, Orlando Jones, and Emily Browning. The first American Gods trailer was released last July during San Diego Comic-Con, in the process introducing the series by focusing on Shadow and his journey - from jail to the strange world Mr. Wednesday pulls him into.

A second trailer is now here, and it shows a very different side of American Gods - a much more bloody side, at that. The trailer, which Starz released online (see the video above), shows exactly how violent the war between the old and the new gods is going to be.

The trailer provides some early looks at a few of the gods who will be seen in the series. The list includes Kristin Chenoweth as Easter, Crispin Glover as Mr. World, Yetide Badaki as Bilquis, and Bruce Langley as Technical Boy. It also shows exactly how brutal the war will be. This American Gods preview is definitely not safe for work, with swords, mallets, and crowbars being put to bloody use.

Watching both American Gods trailers back to back almost provides a semblance of story, with the first introducing Shadow Moon and the second following his introduction into the world beyond the surface - where gods walk the earth and fight for supremacy. The new trailer is almost entirely new footage, as very little is repeated from before.

American Gods is produced by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green. Fuller created Hannibal, so he clearly knows his way around violent and bloody TV. Green is one of the writers of Logan (as well as the upcoming Alien: Covenant), so with this much talent behind the production, American Gods is shaping up to be one heck of a bloody good time.

American Gods premieres on the Starz network Sunday April 30 at 9 PM EST.

Source: Starz