Attendees at this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con have gotten their first glimpse of Starz’s eagerly anticipated American Gods, with Bryan Fuller and his mythic cast—including Ricky Whittle, Bruce Langley, Yetide Badaki, Pablo Schreiber, and Ian McShane—all showing up to roll some footage on the Neil Gaiman adaptation. Gaiman was there, too, discussing the casting process and hinting to the crowd that he was working on a third book set in the American Gods universe. (He also confirmed earlier today that Hannibal’s Gillian Anderson—not in attendance, sadly—would be reprising the bizarro scene from his novel in which the goddess Media impersonates Lucille Ball, and tries to seduce protagonist Shadow through the TV.)
But the panel’s biggest announcement centered on another cast member: Flanked by security guards in goofy looking bunny suits, the producer revealed that Pushing Daisies’ Kristin Chenoweth has been cast on the series in the role of the goddess Easter. (Or Eostre, if you’re being formal.) Chenoweth’s casting suggests a perkier take on the ancient fertility goddess than what readers might be expecting from the book. But given how well Fuller’s been casting the rest of the show, and his long history finding the pathos in Chenoweth’s sunny cheer, we can probably trust him that it was the right call for the sometime ally of Ian McShane’s mysterious Wednesday.