Kristin Chenoweth Nabs Divine Role in AMERICAN GODS Series on Starz

Stage and screen star Kristin Chenoweth, who will soon appear as 'Velma Von Tussle' in NBC's HAIRSPRAY LIVE and recently took the Broadway stage in ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, is headed for a divine new role.

At yesterday's AMERICAN GODS panel at Comic-Con 2016, the actress made a special appearance during which showrunner Bryan Fuller announced she will take on the role of the goddess Easter in the Starz series. According to the show's official description, the character, once known as Ostara, goddess of spring, still embraces the jelly beans and chocolate bunnies associated with the holiday that bears her name, in an effort to stay relevant.

The role of Easter sees Chenoweth reuniting with showrunner Bryan Fuller. The two worked together in "Pushing Daises" for which Chenoweth received an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role.

The upcoming adaptation of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed contemporary fantasy novel will star, as previously announced, Ricky Whittle (Shadow Moon), Ian McShane (Mr. Wednesday), Emily Browning (Laura Moon), Pablo Schreiber (Mad Sweeney), Yetide Badaki (Bilquis), Bruce Langley (Technical Boy), Crispin Glover (Mr. World), Jonathan Tucker (Low Key Lyesmith), Gillian Anderson (Media), Peter Stormare (Czernobog), Cloris Leachman (Zorya Vechernyaya), Orlando Jones (Mr. Nancy) and Demore Barnes (Mr. Ibis).

Starz also revealed the first trailer for AMERICAN GODS. Check it out below:

AMERICAN GODS has been translated into over 30 languages and earned numerous accolades including Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker Awards for Best Novel. The plot posits a war brewing between old and new gods: the traditional gods of mythological roots from around the world steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society's modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity and drugs. Its protagonist, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday, a conman but in reality one of the older gods, on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.

Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth's career spans film, television, voiceover and stage. In 2015, Chenoweth received a coveted star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, she received an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in "Pushing Daises." In 1999, she won a Tony Award for "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and she was also nominated for her original role of Glinda the Good Witch in "Wicked" in 2004. Chenoweth has been nominated for two Emmy Awards and for a People's Choice Award for her role on "Glee." In 2009, she wrote an uplifting candid, comedic chronicle of her life so far, "A Little Bit Wicked," which debuted on the New York Times Hardcover Non Fiction Best Seller List.

In 2015, Chenoweth earned a Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for her lead role in the Roundabout Theatre Company's "On the Twentieth Century." She also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Drama League Award. Chenoweth has performed to sold-out audiences across the world, including performances at Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall. In 2014, she released a CD and DVD of her own live concert performance, "Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home." Notable television appearances include "The West Wing," Disney's "Descendants" and most recently "The Muppets." In film, Chenoweth voiced the role of Gabi in the hit animated film "Rio 2" and Fifi, Snoopy's beloved French poodle in "The Peanuts Movie." This spring, she starred in the indie teen drama entitled "Hard Sell" and began pre-production on Lionsgate/Hasbro's My Little Pony movie, set for a fall 2017 release. She is currently working on a new album due out this fall. This December, she will star in NBC's "Hairspray Live!" as Velma Von Tussle.

Chenoweth is a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a Master's degree in Opera Performance. She formed a charity partnership with the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center (BA PAC) Foundation in her home state of Oklahoma. Kristin is also a passionate supporter of charities which dedicate their time and efforts to helping those in need. She is an inductee into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, as well as the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

AMERICAN GODS is produced by Fremantle Media North America. Bryan Fuller ("Hannibal," "Pushing Daisies," "Heroes") and Michael Green ("The River," "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 producing the series along with Fuller, Green, Slade 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 to the project. FremantleMedia is distributing the series worldwide.

Photo Credit: Jessica Fallon Gordon