STARZ ANNOUNCES HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED ORIGINAL SERIES "AMERICAN GODS" TO PREMIERE IN THE U.S. ON SUNDAY, APRIL 30TH AT 9PM ET/PT

Official key art released ahead of the SXSW World Premiere

Beverly Hills, Calif. - February 23, 2017 - Starz announced today that the highly-anticipated eight-episode first season of FremantleMedia North America produced STARZ Original Series "American Gods," adapted from Neil Gaiman's acclaimed contemporary fantasy novel, will make its network premiere on Sunday, April 30th at 9PM ET/PT.

Starz also debuted the U.S. key art. Both announcements come ahead of the World Premiere and extended Q&A of the series at SXSW in March. The series will debut publicly at the festival on March 11 at 11 AM CT at the Vimeo Theater in the Austin Convention Center followed by an extended Q&A moderated by KCRW's Elvis Mitchell. Showrunners and cast in attendance will include Bryan Fuller, Michael Green, Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning, Pablo Schreiber, Crispin Glover, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley, Orlando Jones, Jonathan Tucker and Betty Gilpin.

"American Gods" posits a different kind of war brewing - one between Old Gods and New. The traditional Old Gods, with mythological roots from around the world, fear irrelevance as their believers die off or are seduced by the money, technology, and celebrity offered by the New Gods. Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) is an ex-con who, left adrift by the recent death of his wife, becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to conman Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). But in truth, Mr. Wednesday is a powerful old deity, on a cross-country mission to build an army and reclaim his lost glory.

About "American Gods"

Adapted from the award-winning novel, "American Gods" stars Ricky Whittle ("The 100," "Austenland") as Shadow Moon; Ian McShane ("Deadwood," "Ray Donovan") as Mr. Wednesday; Emily Browning ("Sucker Punch," "Legend") as Laura Moon and Pablo Schreiber ("Orange is the New Black") as Mad Sweeney.

Other cast members include Yetide Badaki ("Aquarius," "Masters of Sex") as Bilquis; Bruce Langley ("Deadly Waters") as Technical Boy; Crispin Glover ("Back to the Future") as Mr. World and Orlando Jones ("Madiba," "Sleepy Hollow") as Mr. Nancy.

Additional cast include Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files," "The Fall") as Media; Kristin Chenoweth ("Pushing Daisies," "Wicked") as Easter; Jonathan Tucker ("Kingdom") as Low Key Lyesmith; Cloris Leachman ("Malcom in The Middle," "Raising Hope") as Zorya Vechernyaya; Peter Stormare ("Fargo," "Prison Break") as Czernobog; Chris Obi ("Snow White and the Huntsman," "The Counselor") as Anubis; Demore Barnes ("12 Monkeys") as Mr. Ibis, Corbin Bernsen ("L.A. Law") as Vulcan and Mousa Kraish ("Superbad," "Fast & Furious") as The Jinn.

"American Gods" is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Bryan Fuller ("Hannibal," "Pushing Daisies," "Heroes") and Michael Green ("Blade Runner 2049," "Alien: Covenant," "Murder on the Orient Express," "Kings," "Heroes") are writers and showrunners. David Slade ("Hannibal," "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse") is directing the pilot and additional episodes. FMNA's Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk are executive producers along with Fuller, Green, Slade, Adam Kane and Neil Gaiman. Senior Vice Presidents of Original Programming Marta Fernandez and Ken Segna are the Starz executives in charge of "American Gods."

Starz retains all network pay TV and SVOD rights, as well as certain DVD distribution rights in the US and Canada, to the project. FremantleMedia is distributing the series in all other media worldwide.

Written by Neil Gaiman in 2001, American Gods has been translated into over 30 languages and earned numerous accolades including Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novel.

About Starz

Starz (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), is a leading global media and entertainment company that provides premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television networks and produces and distributes content for worldwide audiences, including its investment in the STARZ PLAY Arabia OTT service. Starz is home to the flagship STARZ(R) brand with 24.3 million subscribers in the United States as of December 31, 2016, with the STARZ ENCORESM network at 31 million subscribers. Starz provides high-quality, entertaining premium subscription video programming with 17 premium pay TV channels and associated on-demand and online services, including the STARZ app. Sold through U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, telecommunications companies, and other online and digital platforms, Starz offers subscribers more than 5,000 distinct premium television episodes and feature films every year and up to 1,500 every month, including STARZ Original series, first-run movies and other popular movie and television programming.

About FremantleMedia North America

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is a premier content studio. FMNA and its portfolio of companies, including Random House Studio, Original Productions and 495 Productions, create entertaining and innovative scripted and alternative programs for network, cable, syndicated and digital partners. Its diverse, critically-acclaimed and award-winning slate includes America's Got Talent (NBC), Family Feud (SYN), Let's Make A Deal (CBS), The Price Is Right (CBS), The Great Christmas Light Fight (ABC), Deadliest Catch (Discovery), Jay Leno's Garage (CNBC) Married to Medicine (Bravo), Martha and Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party (VH1), Blue Collar Millionaires (CNBC), Ice Road Truckers (HISTORY), Storage Wars (A&E), Celebrity Family Feud (ABC), To Tell The Truth (ABC), Match Game (ABC) and American Gods (STARZ), among others. FMNA also operates BUZZR, a retro game show channel that launched in 2015, and is available in the top 10 U.S. markets, and 65 percent of the country.

FMNA is the U.S. arm of global media giant FremantleMedia, which includes a distribution arm, FremantleMedia International, a digital and branded entertainment division and a kids & family entertainment business. As one of the world's largest and most successful creators, producers and distributors of TV brands in the world, FremantleMedia's comprehensive global network has operations in 31 countries, creating over 10,000 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 45 formats and managing over 350 individual titles. The company also distributes more than 20,000 hours of content in over 200 territories. For more information follow us @FMNATV and visit our Facebook page.